Environmental Journalists Form Association

The Daily Monitor (Addis Ababa)

NEWS 28 August 2007

By Yonas Abiye Addis Ababa

Ethiopian environmental journalists working with private and government media outlets have got together to form an association, an official close to the newly formed association told The Daily Monitor on Monday.

The official said the main objective of the association was to contribute towards efforts to tackle the ever worsening environmental situation in the country and beyond.

"The association with the initiatives of developing professional skills of Ethiopian media practitioners is aimed at upgrading the quality and quantity of reporting environment and sustainable development," Coordinator of the association under formation Argaw Ashine, told The Daily Monitor.

Argaw said familiarizing research outputs to the media community and other stakeholders are among the things the association will be tasked with.

According to the coordinator, the association would also help members to report oral testimony and methodology as well as understand the global impact of environmental situation as it widely takes the world's attention due to the ever-growing effects of global warming and climate change The association will also be tasked with facilitating and coordinating experience-sharing workshops and forums in the country and abroad It, matter of factly is preparing to facilitate an exchange programmes in six African nations, in coordination with and cooperation of similar associations and partners working on protection of the environment and sustainable development.

The association, to be named the Ethiopian Environmental Journalists Association, EEJA for short, is the country's first of its kind professional association.

"Environmental journalists' Associations in many African countries have a history of almost a decade now, but ours is going to be the country's first ever," Argaw observed.

Members come from journalists drawn from private and state media outlets including foreign correspondents of international news organizations in the country.

Argaw also said the association is different from other similar journalist in that it has no a political and partisan motives.

EEJA is being assisted by Heneich Boll Foundation and Panos Ethiopia, and has 47 members as at the month of August.

According to Argaw, the association will work in collaboration with development partners and has signed an agreement with the Norwegian Capacity Building Agency to work in partnership.

Commenting the significance of the formation of EEJA, Ayele Kebede, Deputy Manager of Forum for Environment, local organization working on advocacy of Ethiopian Environment, said "in addition of building the journalists capacity, the formation of environmental association in Ethiopia would have a paramount importance in raising the public awareness of international conventions that Ethiopia ratified and the country's constitution on the environment issues According to Ayele, so far media has the power to influence public opinion; this association would fill the gap between the environmental laws and the entire public understanding.