Invitation to media activities at the Bali Conference of Parties (COP13) to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change

[MikeShanahan]

The International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED) and Panos will provide media activities and support to journalists before, during and after the UN climate change summit, COP13, in Bali, Indonesia, on 3-14 December 2007.

"A major achievement of the COP12 meeting in Nairobi was that it raised awareness of climate change in Africa, where the level of awareness prior to the event was very low. African journalists from many countries were present in force and their reporting helped to bring the importance of climate-change home to policymakers and the public across the continent. COP13 in Bali, Indonesia, represents an opportunity to raise awareness of climate change issues in Asia in a similar way." — Saleemul Huq, head of climate change, IIED.

COP13 will be significant for two main reasons. It will be the first held in South-East Asia, which means that it presents a significant opportunity to raise the profile of climate change in the region. Secondly, high on the agenda will be efforts to agree a 'Bali Mandate' - a timetable for agreeing future international action when the Kyoto Protocol's first commitment period expires in 2012.

“In many developing countries climate change stories remain in the newspaper margins. The challenge for policy-makers at the Bali Summit will be to stimulate media interest in their work. The challenge to journalists will be to translate complex proceedings into stories which capture the imagination of the public to engage in creating change.” — Rod Harbinson, Head of Environment, Panos London.

In order to meet these challenges, we invite journalists, reporters, media houses and training organisations to join us in some or all of these activities, which include media clinics, development and climate days, fellowships for journalists and a shadowing programme, as well as the launch of the new report, Up in Smoke-Asia.

For more information please contact: [e-mail]

A selection of the activities to be held in the run up to, during, and after the Summit in Bali:

Pre-Bali briefings IIED and Panos will provide journalists with background information on climate
change, the COP process, and the major issues under negotiation.

Media clinic This one-day event on Friday 8 December will include briefings by experts on the
negotiations, key side events and the 'Development and Climate Days' event that begins the next day. Experienced journalists who have been reporting on climate change for years will be invited to share their knowledge in a question-and-answer session.

Development and Climate Days This
two-day event organised by IIED and partners attracts top-level policy-makers. It provides an opportunity for journalists to learn about climate change and development, find and report stories, and meet and interview key experts. They will hear presentations on climate change and health, cities, energy and food, on disaster reduction and community based adaptation to climate change.

The event is now an established part of the COP side event and has been a major attraction at recent summits. Senior speakers from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the UN Development Programme, the Red Cross, and others, drew hundreds of delegates. See: http://tinyurl.com/2vq564

Matchmaking service We will put journalists in contact with climate-change experts and negotiators
from their countries, as well as with representatives of poor and marginalised communities that are vulnerable to climate change.

Shadowing programme Established journalists will be invited to link up with less experienced reporters from
developing countries by inviting them to shadow their reporting activities. Please let us know if you are interested in helping a colleague in this way by emailing: [e-mail]

Fellowships We will be fundraising to offer fellowships to journalists from developing
countries and bring them to Bali. Editorial support and mentoring will be provided for these fellows to produce stories from the summit and in their home countries. Expressions of interest in sponsoring the fellowships are welcome.

News to report Panos, IIED and other international partners will launch the Up in Smoke-Asia report during COP13.

Ongoing support In addition to making new contacts, finding great stories, and learning more about
climate change reporting, journalists will be encouraged to stay in contact with IIED and Panos to receive long-term support in the form of future commissions, briefings and access to policy-makers. They will be encouraged to join existing networks of journalists to continue building their skills and experience.

These events and resources will be open to all media, but their focus will be on raising the capacity of journalists in developing nations to report on climate change and, in doing so, to promote greater inclusion of Southern perspectives in climate change policies.

For more information please contact: [e-mail]

[Lyn Resurreccion]

Thank you for the info, MIke.
I thought I missed it, or accidentally deleted it.
Best regards,
LynR.

[MikeShanahan]

Hi Lyn

We should be sending the information out at the end of this week or early next week. Look out for it in your inbox.

All the best
Mike

[Lyn Resurreccion]

Hi Mike, am wondering if the invites to journalists are out already? I was informed that they would be out in early October.

[A Sato]

Hello Mike. I am happy to see the efforts such as yours. Please let me know the details and if possible (subject to funding availability and other obligations to meet all needs) I would be interested to participate. Thank you.