By Jonathan Mbiriyamveka
UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Zimbabwe HE Edward Kallon says for the media to succeed in its role, it must be and remain professional and objective.
Speaking at ongoing four-day workshop in Mutare Tuesday, HE Kallon reiterated that the UN highly values the strong partnership with the media in advancing the agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development and its 17 goals.
“In this regard, for the media to succeed in its role, it must be and remain professional and objective.
“Factors such as media bias, sensationalism and distortions negatively affect the contribution of media to national development.
“Freedom of the media must therefore go along with responsibility,” HE Kallon said.
“The media should therefore maintain and strengthen public dialogue to empower people with information particularly in the rural areas.
The media plays a big role by increasing awareness and engagement, by helping citizens to ask the right questions and to look for answers; it opens those democratic spaces for a more people-centered economic growth and development.”
He said the media could engage on topical issues such as the COVID-19, Climate Action, national and international development frameworks such as the SDGs.
“First: Media and journalists have been on the front lines not only in the fight against COVID-19 through sharing facts and dispelling myths, but also in the ongoing effort to recovering better from the effects of the pandemic.
“Accurate and timely reporting is one of the best tools that we have at our disposal to stop the COVID-19 pandemic and infodemic. The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed how critical access to accurate and reliable information is for citizens to make informed decisions.
“To contain the spread of COVID-19 and tackle misinformation, the UN and partners have been working with media to boost your role in reporting accurately on the coronavirus, prevention measures, and vaccine safety and efficacy.
“Second: tackling climate change. There are now high levels of awareness of climate change. However, there remains misinformation about what actions are necessary.
“Media plays critical role in engaging the public and shift negative or neutral attitudes towards appreciation of the dire climate crisis and the urgency for action.
“In this regard, the UN will continue to work with media through providing timely and well researched climate adaptation publications.”
He continued: “Third, media and journalists can contribute greatly to the attainment of national development and the SDGs by building public awareness, setting the agenda, and engaging Government, Parliament, the Judiciary, and other stakeholders including communities and individuals at grassroots level. Media as an important source of information and analysis helps shape citizens’ views, commitment, and their role on national development.
“Fourth: media has responsibility to be the voice of the voiceless, vulnerable members of the society – children particularly girls, persons with disabilities, women, senior citizens, the poor and marginalized. Their stories can make an impact across the spectrum from modifying an individual’s own behaviour to generating popular support and action.
“In this regard, media can play critical role through accurate and reliable information to inspire people to be part of solutions to national development challenges: advocating for quality education, universal healthcare, gender equality and to achieve the sustainable development goals in which no one is left behind.”
The UN supported Independent Commissions established under Chapter 12 of the Zimbabwean Constitution, to effectively discharge their mandates.
The Commissions are essential in entrenching rule of law, accountability, democracy, human rights, gender equality, peace and reconciliation and social cohesion, which elements, are critical for achieving the SDGs.
During the year under review, the Government of Zimbabwe, and the United Nations system in the country, launched the Zimbabwe United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (ZUNSDCF) 2022-2026 following extensive consultations with strategic development partners.
The Cooperation Framework begun implementation beginning of this year, and I understand you have been updated on the focus areas and status of implementation this morning.
All these were made possible with the generous financial and technical support of development partners, among top ten include: the US, Global Fund, EU, UK, Germany, Japan, Sweden, Netherlands, Australia and Canada.
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