The Ghana Center for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana), in collaboration with the Danish Embassy, has launched an initiative under the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as part of efforts to promote media freedom and enhance climate reporting.
This project aims to bolster the role of the media in defending democracy while strengthening the capacity for accurate and impactful climate reporting.
The launch event, held in Accra, brought together key stakeholders from the media, civil society, government, and international organisations.
It highlighted the crucial intersection of media freedom and climate change, emphasising the need for robust, independent journalism to hold power to account and raise awareness about environmental issues.
The initiative aims to provide journalists with the tools and resources necessary to report on climate change effectively under SDG 13.
By equipping them with the latest information, training, and support, the project seeks to enhance the quality and depth of climate reporting in Ghana.
This, in turn, will inform and engage the public on critical environmental issues, driving collective action towards sustainability.
Speaking at the launch, the president of CDD-Ghana, Audrey Gadzekpo emphasised the vital role of the press in reporting effectively on climate change.
“If the rhetoric is cast in political terms, then we do know that the battle is lost and then it is very important for the media to understand the underlying reasons for their reportage. They need to begin telling the more complex stories like the link between climate change and instability and insecurity,” she stated.
Tom Norrik, Ambassador of Denmark to Ghana, echoed these sentiments, highlighting Denmark’s commitment to supporting press freedom and environmental sustainability.
“These upcoming elections are extremely important, especially at a time when democracy is under serious threat. Press freedom is a key human right and we have noted with concern, Ghana’s drop in the Global Press Freedom index and this is an issue to look into. We must unite our efforts to bolster Ghana’s democratic framework. This project provides us an opportunity to work on both SDG 16 and SDG 13,” he stated.
The initiative will roll out a series of workshops, training programmes, and advocacy campaigns over the coming months. It aims to create a supportive network for journalists, providing them with the skills and knowledge to tackle complex climate issues and report on them with accuracy and authority.
This will be done in collaboration with Citi FM and the Multimedia group under SDG 16, defending press freedom.
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