Media Women Network implemented training supported with UNSOM, today on the 3rd of November 2022, brought 35 journalists to Mogadishu for training, which lasted for three days was about reporting information on the environment and climate change.
Somalia is one of the most countries affected by climate change, There has been a lack of rain, frequent droughts, floods, displacement, inflation, food shortages and conflicts, but people are not aware that the problems they have are caused by climate change, and the media and reporters do not report these problems as needed.
During the three days of the training, the reporters were taught the basics of climate change as a global problem, the best way to report on climate change, how to search for information, and were guided to illustrate current problems caused by the weather and the information that should be brought out so that people can prepare or know about this topic.
The training was opened by leaders from the Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism of Somalia, the Office of Social Affairs of the Presidency, the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change, civil society organizations especially those working on the issues; environment, women and journalism all underlined the need for the media to focus on environmental issues and climate warming so that the public can understand more.
Most of the participants were aware of droughts, floods and other problems but did not believe that they were part of the global climate change. Some of the journalists who took the training said that they will incorporate the knowledge they learned in their daily work.
The closing of the training was attended by Valerie Msoka who is the Deputy Head of Communication and Public Affairs Group of UNSOM, she thanked the beneficiaries of the training for their participation.
climate change as it is a topic that affects people’s lives in general, She urges journalists to look for hidden information related to climate change so that people understand that it is a big part of their problems.
The Deputy Minister of Environment and Climate Change Dr Saeed Mohamed Ali, also attended the closing and said that the ministry is ready to work with the media on issues related to climate change, as it has an impact on the economy as a whole. ”
Finally, Kafia Abdullahi Naleie the head of programs at the Media Women Network, who spoke about the closure, said that when they saw the problems caused by climate change and the lack of information, they decided to train journalists to report on these issues.