Community Media Workshop to Focus on Enhancing Protection

Community Media Workshop to Focus on Enhancing Protection in Emergencies

Thursday 19 April 2012
Suva, Fiji Islands

As flood affected rural communities remain on alert with weather predictions for more rain, a community media workshop focusing on enhancing Protection in Emergencies will be staged on April 20 and 21 at FemLINKPACIFIC’s Community Media Centre in Suva:

UN Women is pleased to support femLINKPACIFIC in strengthening the capacity of its Generation Next volunteers in incorporating gender equality and women in leadership messaging into the Women's Weather Watch community radio programme," says Elzira Sagynbaeva, UN Women Regional Programme Director ahead of an Interactive Learning and Production training session for FemLINKPACIFIC's Generation Next Team of Young Women Producers and Broadcasters from Tavua, Nadi, Labasa and Suva this weekend in Suva.
The activity is being conducted in partnership with UN Women, the UN Gender Group and the Pacific Humanitarian Protection Cluster and builds on FemLINKPACIFIC's Women's Weather Watch initiative.

The outputs of the training will inform community radio content development and production to enhance Protection in Emergencies and assist the FemLINKPACIFIC team continue to communicate and promote gender inclusive messages throughout the year:

"Natural disasters impact women and men differently. Women are more vulnerable to the effects of climate change than men-primarily as they constitute the majority of the world's poor and are more dependent for their livelihood on natural resources that are threatened by climate change. Furthermore, they face social, economic and political barriers that limit their coping capacity. Women and men in rural areas in developing countries are especially vulnerable when they are highly dependent on local natural resources for their livelihood. It is thus important to identify gender-sensitive strategies to respond to the environmental and humanitarian crises caused by climate change.

It is important to remember, however, that women are not only vulnerable to climate change but they are also effective actors or agents of change in relation to both mitigation and adaptation. Women often have a strong body of knowledge and expertise that can be used in climate change mitigation, disaster reduction and adaptation strategies. Furthermore, women's responsibilities in households and communities, as stewards of natural and household resources, positions them well to contribute to livelihood strategies adapted to changing environmental realities.

Therefore, UN Women advocates for early and consistent inclusion of women and gender perspectives in all aspects of humanitarian response and early recovery so that the different needs, capacities and contributions of women, men, girls and boys are taken into consideration." Elzira Sagynbaeva, UN Women Regional Programme Director

"This interactive learning will equip FemLINKPACIFIC's community media network to gather information on protection concerns and to disseminate prevention/response information and protection advocacy messages, first-hand to flood-affected rural communities" says FemLINKPACIFIC's Executive Director Sharon Bhagwan Rolls

The activity she said would also serve to enhance and broaden the application of gender and women's human rights treaties and conventions as the organization convenes rural consultations and broadcasts with women in local communities:

"It is critically important to link women's environmental and personal security to the disaster preparedness and management strategies."

Sharon Bhagwan Rolls, Executive Director, FemLINKPacific (www.femlinkpacific.org.fj)

ENDS

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