Media seen as key partners in environmental sustainability

The Partnerships in Environmental Management for the Seas of East Asia (PEMSEA) will host a "National Conference on Media as Key Partners in Environmental Sustainability." It will be held in the Lush Life Garden Bistro of the Orchidarium, Valencia Circle, Rizal Park, Manila, on October 23, 2002.

PEMSEA is a regional program supported by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) with the Philippines, Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, China, DPR Korea, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, RO Korea, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam as participating countries. Its implementing agency is the United Nations Development Programme with the International Maritime Organization as the executing agency. Its host institution is the DENR.

PEMSEA’s objective is to protect the seas’ life support systems and enable the sustainable use and management of coastal and marine resources through intergovernmental, interagency, and intersectoral partnerships for improved quality of life in the East Asia Seas region. It pursues the twin approach of building partnerships between public and private sectors toward achieving the two-fold benefits of sustainable economic development and environmental management; and strengthening environmental management capabilities at local and national levels, and developing the collective regional capacity to address transboundary environmental issues.

PEMSEA believes that the media has a major role in achieving its goals because of its (media) ability to influence major policy making bodies and advocate for changes in people’s attitudes and behavior. It also recognizes the value of media in generating public awareness on local and national issues, specifically along environment. Hence, this national conference has been conceptualized.

The conference aims to: (1) enhance partnerships with media and other related communication practitioners in the Philippines in working for environmental sustainability; (b) present an avenue for exchange of ideas on what PEMSEA is doing, specifically in the Philippines, to sustain the coastal and marine environment, and on what media is doing concerning the same endeavor; and (3) identify ways and mechanisms on how PEMSEA, along with other environmental organizations and the media, can work in tandem to achieve worthy environmental objectives.

Well known environmental journalists from the broadcast and related communication practitioners, local government units from the provinces of Batangas and Bataan, DENR,and representatives from NGOs, universities and private sector are invited to this important activity.

Dr. Chua Thia-Eng, PEMSEA Regional Programme Director and DENR Secretary Heherson T. Alvarez are the guests of honor.

The conference planning committee composed of representatives from the UNDP, Environmental Broadcast Circle, Manila Bay Environmental Management Project (MBEMP), Batangas Bay Integrated Coastal Management (ICM) Project and BIGKIS-Bataan ICM Project, and PEMSEA is in charge of the event.