OSCE Centre co-organizes festival on environmental journalism in Dushanbe
(OSCE/Lubomir Kotek)The Tien Shan mountain range in Kyrgyzstan is one of Central Asia's most important water sources. (OSCE/Lubomir Kotek) Photo details
DUSHANBE, 21 October 2003 - A week-long event to promote and encourage environmental journalism in Central Asia and to increase public access to environmental information has started today in the Tajik capital of Dushanbe.
The Third Central Asian Festival on Environmental Journalism, which will last until 27 October, is organized jointly by the OSCE Centre in Dushanbe and the Office of the Co-ordinator of OSCE Economic and Environmental Activities.
Two roundtables for editors-in-chief and for government officials will be organized during the festival. Best journalists from five Central Asian states will be awarded at the end of the event.
The festival organizers also invited two journalists from Afghanistan to enable them to establish contacts with their colleagues in Central Asia.
The OSCE Centres in Almaty, Ashgabad, Bishkek and Tashkent, the UN Environmental Programme's Global Resource Information Database (GRID Arendal), the Tajik Ministry of Nature Protection, House of Water (CAMP/SDC project), the UN Development Programme's Global Environmental Facility, SOROS Foundation Kazakhstan, Friedrich Ebert Foundation, the Regional Environmental Centre for Central Asia (CAREC) and environmental NGOs in the region were also among the organizers of the festival.
Prior to the event in Dushanbe, national competitions were organized in all five Central Asian states between June and October 2003.
In co-operation with journalists from the BBC and the British daily paper, The Guardian, the UNEP/GRID Arendal has organized master classes for Tajik journalists from the capital and the remote areas. Water supply in Dushanbe has been a focus of the master classes in the context of the 2003 Year of Fresh Water.
Ms. Tojinisso Nasirova, Deputy Minister of Nature Protection, said at the opening of the master class her ministry closely co-operates with environmental NGOs and the media.
"The Dushanbe Fresh Water Forum, held on 30 August and 1 September, brought the water issues to the attention of the governmental officials dealing with nature protection and the journalists," she said.
The Third Central Asian Festival on Environmental Journalism, which will last until 27 October, is organized jointly by the OSCE Centre in Dushanbe and the Office of the Co-ordinator of OSCE Economic and Environmental Activities.
Two roundtables for editors-in-chief and for government officials will be organized during the festival. Best journalists from five Central Asian states will be awarded at the end of the event.
The festival organizers also invited two journalists from Afghanistan to enable them to establish contacts with their colleagues in Central Asia.
The OSCE Centres in Almaty, Ashgabad, Bishkek and Tashkent, the UN Environmental Programme's Global Resource Information Database (GRID Arendal), the Tajik Ministry of Nature Protection, House of Water (CAMP/SDC project), the UN Development Programme's Global Environmental Facility, SOROS Foundation Kazakhstan, Friedrich Ebert Foundation, the Regional Environmental Centre for Central Asia (CAREC) and environmental NGOs in the region were also among the organizers of the festival.
Prior to the event in Dushanbe, national competitions were organized in all five Central Asian states between June and October 2003.
In co-operation with journalists from the BBC and the British daily paper, The Guardian, the UNEP/GRID Arendal has organized master classes for Tajik journalists from the capital and the remote areas. Water supply in Dushanbe has been a focus of the master classes in the context of the 2003 Year of Fresh Water.
Ms. Tojinisso Nasirova, Deputy Minister of Nature Protection, said at the opening of the master class her ministry closely co-operates with environmental NGOs and the media.
"The Dushanbe Fresh Water Forum, held on 30 August and 1 September, brought the water issues to the attention of the governmental officials dealing with nature protection and the journalists," she said.