The need for international and regional organisation to collaborate on issues of common interest and also build viable networks was this week underscored by the Regional Representation of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) Mr Oyebade Ajayi. His remarks came as he addressed judges who were in Jamaica this week assessing the work of journalists who sumbitted worked to be judged for the inaugural media awards competition for Caribbean journalists.
The judges for the competition are drawn from regional and international organisations, including the Caribbean Community Secretariat. CARICOM’s participation in the media awards competition, represents a strengthening in the ongoing collaboration between itself and the UNFPA. Both organisations worked on conceptualising Caribbean Youth Explosion 1998 with the CARICOM organising the Caribbean Youth Parliament, which also formed part of its 25th anniversary celebrations and then played a supporting role with the UBFPA in executing the inaugural Caribbean Youth Summit. The Commonwealth Youth Programme was embraced in Caribbean Youth Explosion 1998 with its Caribbean Youth Expo.
The Caribbean Institute of Mass Communication (CARIMAC) and the Caribbean Family Planning Association are the regional organisations also supporting the UNFPA in this initiative.
Turning attention to the awards competition itself, Mr Ajayi stressed the need for Caribbean journalists to actively participate in the their society as communications and advocacy expert. The competition has two categories: coverage of general population and development reporting and coverage of the first ever Caribbean Youth Summit, in which CARICOM played a partnership role.
He commented too that in this era of globalisation, it was even more important for Caribbean journalists to become active participants in addressing issues of pertinence to the people. He stressed that the wide range of issues in population and development as well as issues concerning the welfare of the youth were among the pertinent issues confronting Caribbean people. He added that in their reporting on these issues from a Caribbean perspective, the Region’s journalists were engaging in advocacy and that this was a good for the people of the Region.
In commenting on the purpose of the award, the UNFPA articulated that an understanding of and accurate reporting of population and development issues, including in particular, the impact on development of programmes to advance Adolescent Reproductive Health and Rights beyond family planning. The UNFPA added that there is need too for understanding and accurate reporting of issues in the treatment and management of Sexually Transmitted Diseases including HIV/AIDS, parenting, urbanisation, migration, gender equality and equity, violence against women as well as other critical issues under the umbrella of development.
The media competition seeks to focus attention of journalists in the Region, and through them the public at large, to the achievements, constraints and the challenges that the Region faces in the population sector.
The UNFPA also hopes that through the efforts of the media, it will be possible to stimulate greater public interest and participation in the development and implementation of population programme initiatives.
The winners in the media award competiton will be announced at a ceremony in Jamaica on 7 October. Not only will prizes be presented, but the judges will deliver theri report from which it is hoped that an even greated number of entries will be presented to be judged next year.
