2004 Annual Report Panos Institute - Caribbean
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Project Highlights: Environment
Regional distribution of pertinent information after the
floodings in Gonaives, Haiti. On 18 September, Gonaives,
the third city of Haiti (between 100,000 and 200,000 inhabitants,
exact number unknown) was hit by severe flooding in connection to
the passage of Hurricane Jeanne. The death toll was eventually estimated
at 3,000 people and there was enormous damage to property and infrastructure.
Normally, media in the English-speaking Caribbean are quite isolated
from Haitian news, due to language barriers and a general lack of
awareness on the local situation. The great majority of stories
on Haiti deal with political issues.
Based on information gathered by Panos journalists on the ground
(in Port-au-Prince and in Gonaives), as well as reports supplied
by local and national authorities in Haiti and the UN, Panos commenced
a press service in English immediately after the flooding disaster.
From our office in Jamaica, we supplied daily reports to Caribbean
media, detailing incoming new data on the scale of the disaster,
the development of humanitarian relief efforts, availability of
water, food, supplies and shelter, special testimonies from various
sectors of society (in particular the poor and local media and journalists
affected), local contacts of relief and aid workers, authorities
and journalists for follow-up interviews, photos, etc.
We ran this service for nearly 4 weeks, by which time the humanitarian
relief effort entered its second stage. Panos also provided limited
support to affected journalists and their relatives in Gonaives.
We helped establish an ad-hoc committee comprised of Haitian journalists
and channelled donations in money and equipment from France and
some Caribbean donors.
"Community and the Environment," a new
project funded by the Swedish International Development Agency (Sida),
started in September. It aims to raise public understanding and
stimulate public debate on sustainable development region-wide.
Although this project only had a 4-month duration, a follow-up for
2005 was prepared with a more specific focus: "Communicating
climate change and natural disaster management."
"Community and the Environment" has been a long-standing
theme of Panos in the Caribbean, linking international and local
environmental policy making with community concerns. This project
produced local community sustainable development information through
two mechanisms: (1) a multinational team of reporters; and (2) youth
in Haiti. Outputs included "community profiles" in Haiti,
radio programmes and print features, several media fellowships,
as well as the start of a report on environmental programming in
Caribbean media.
In late September, Panos conducted a small activity to report on
the issues and decisions of two intergovernmental meetings
conducted by the UNEP Caribbean Environment Programme (UNEP/CEP),
held in Montego Bay, Jamaica. UNEP has conducted a Regional Seas
Programme in the Caribbean since 1981. Over the years, the programme
has become quite successful in constructing the basic requirements
for the sustainable development of the marine and coastal resources
in the Caribbean. All States and Territories of the region participate
in its implementation. It has established an Action Plan, which
through a collaborative and participative process is updated every
two years, and a legal framework with a Convention and several issue-oriented
Protocols. However, until now there has not been much public communication
on this programme and its impacts are largely unknown.
We sponsored two media fellowships to Jamaican reporters. Panos
provided daily support in the form of backgrounders on the (technical)
environmental issues and the Caribbean Environmental Programme.
These backgrounders were later requested by many more reporters.
A total of 10 print features were produced and ample radio and some
TV coverage was generated also.
The print features were distributed in the four languages (English,
French, Kreyol and Spanish) to media region-wide, as well as organizations.
Feedback was very positive, and public dialogue on the issues at
hand increased notably. UNEP has now funded a follow-up project
for 2005.
We granted another media fellowship on community environmental
reporting to a Haitian journalist, well-known from TV, radio and
print. Unfortunately she had to flee the country in December due
to threats. We received four articles while another one is being
finalized.
A Barbadian reporter visited Haiti in November and, in addition
to producing radio on HIV/AIDS, provided radio news items to Voice
of Barbados on relevant organizations and initiatives in environment
and youth.
"Caribbean Environmental Communications Initiative (CECI)"is
a joint project with the Loyola University New Orleans / Center
for Environmental Communications (LUCEC) and the Caribbean Environmental
Reporters Network (CERN). The project's primary focus is on the
Eastern Caribbean region, but we make some outreach to other parts
of the region and generate media productions in the four languages
of Panos. CECI, funded by the US Agency for International Development
(USAID) through its Caribbean Regional Programme based in Jamaica,
started in July 2002 and came to an end in August 2004.
CECI gave major support to "Island Beat Radio" and "Island
Beat in Print." Both are ongoing series of productions and
are described below. CECI was first programmed to run till October
2003, however, USAID agreed on an extension. All financial resources
left were used to continue Island Beat and the CERN Secretariat.
No courses or reporting fellowships were undertaken this year under
this project.
"Island Beat Radio" is a weekly edition
of 5 minutes in English produced by a regional team of reporters.
The series, run by the Caribbean Environmental Reporters Network
(CERN) with the support of Panos, focuses on environment and development
stories from or relevant to Caribbean communities, in particular
highlighting voices of unusual sources which may be marginalized
in the development process. Island Beat Radio is simultaneously
broadcast by more than 25 radio stations in 18 countries. It was
started in 2003 and was by late 2004 in its 80th edition.
This year, the EU-funded Caribbean Regional Environment Programme
(CREP) provided support for 26 programmes. Several more were commissioned
with support of the UN Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO).
With support of Sida, four programmes were produced around the Mauritius
Conference on the Sustainable Development of Small Island Developing
States (held in January 2005), with stories from Antigua, Barbados
and Dominica. Moreover, we produced several English language programmes
on HIV/AIDS in Haiti.
In view of the increasing volume of the series, Panos is considering
to start an additional weekly radio series in 2005, with additional
focus on HIV/AIDS and children's rights.
"Island Beat in Print" was begun in 1999
by Panos as a four-lingual (English, French, Kreyol and Spanish)
series of feature articles (500-700 words) on a variety of development
themes. Several of the stories are transcribed from radio programmes.
The articles highlight the non-traditional newsmakers: instead of
politicians and experts, we feature farmers and fisherfolk, children
and women, people living with HIV/AIDS, etc, in order to include
their voices in public debate. This multilingual series contributes
to a regional exchange of voices and perspectives.
Till date, we have distributed over 90 articles through Island Beat
in Print. This year, Panos produced 17 articles on community environmental
themes (10 from an international UNEP Conference in Jamaica, 6 from
Haiti and one transcribed from a radio programme from Antigua).
Many articles contain oral testimonies of people affected by development
projects and issues. Moreover, several have been produced around
HIV/AIDS (in particular the Bangkok Conference). All articles are
being uploaded on the Panos website.
In Haiti in recent years, Island Beat in print focussed heavily
on the subjects of HIV/AIDS and child rights. This year we attempted
to revive an environmental focus through a call for articles, inviting
Haitian journalists to produce features relating to community environmental
issues. Many articles were received, but few accepted, due to the
fact that most Haitian journalists work in radio and are generally
ill-prepared to write articles of quality. Moreover few articles
report on possible solutions, but rather list the many environmental
problems.
Body of
Annual Report 2004
Other Project Highlights 2004:
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