United Nations Zimbabwe empowers editors, senior journalists on development reporting

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In pursuit of empowering communicators on sustainable development, the United Nations in Zimbabwe is undertaking a week-long workshop on development reporting as well as embarking on field visits in Manicaland.

Bringing together some 30 editors, sub-editors and senior reporters, and United Nations (UN) officials, the high-powered seminar will be followed by subsequent field visits to UN-supported development and recovery programmes and projects in Manicaland Province.

The workshop will be co-facilitated by the UN Communications Group Chair Mr. Sirak Gebrehiwot and an external facilitator and Media Practitioner. The workshop will take the form of plenary and group discussions. There will also be field visits to development, resilience, and recovery projects.

“The UN-Media seminar and field visit to development and recovery projects is very important to us and these critical stakeholders. The seminar and field visit has many objectives in the development trajectory. It is meant to increase media understanding of ongoing national development, disaster risk management, and recovery efforts within the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and better engagement with the UN in Zimbabwe,

“This will also facilitate public discourse on the development agenda through increased media coverage during and after the seminar and field visit on ongoing development, resilience, and recovery issues. We will also come up with the UN-Media Action Plan with agreed messages in line with the 2022 – 2026 Zimbabwe UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework, 2021-2025 National Development Strategy, and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development,” Mr. Gebrehiwot said.

The Minister of Provincial and Devolution Affairs for Manicaland, Hon. Nokuthula Matsikenyeri is expected to give the welcome remarks today, the 30th of May 2022 in Mutare. There will be a keynote address by Permanent Secretary to the Ministry of Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services, Mr. Nick Mangwana, and remarks by the UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator Mr. Edward Kallon.

In addition, updates on the progress of the SDGs in Zimbabwe will be given by the Permanent Secretary to the Ministry of Public Services, Labor and Social Welfare Mr. Simon Masanga; and on the National Development Strategy I by the Chief Director of Programme Management at the Office of the President and Cabinet Mr. Anderson Chiraya, respectively.