Pakistan: NDMA holds first of its kind national consultative dialogue on role of media in disaster management
Islamabad - A one day National Consultative Dialogue was organized by National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) today, in collaboration with Mediations Pakistan. Prominent media anchors, head journalists, analysts, representatives from print media and civil society experts participated in the National Dialogue. Special Assistant & Spokesperson to the Prime Minister, Dr. Musadik Masood Malik while sharing his remarks in the Consultative Dialogue said that specialized training and expertise is required for media reporting during disasters. “Role of media is pivotal in managing the impacts of the disaster and we need to learn from our mistakes”, said Dr. Musadik Malik during his remarks.
Chairman NDMA, Major General Asghar Nawaz in his welcome remarks highlighted the fact that Pakistan is a land prone to disasters therefore we need a vigilant media to inform and educate public to take preemptive measures. Media has an ability to become eyes and ears of NDMA and guide us to plan better for the future, said the Chairman NDMA.
Earlier Mr. Wajih Akhtar from Mediations Pakistan presented the context of the Consultative Dialogue. Mr. Wajih Akhtar said that Pakistan has a vibrant media industry therefore it is imperative to get the point of views from media while making any guideline about disaster management plans in the country. Therefore, the objective of this Consultative Dialogue is to brainstorm on the role of media in disaster management and identify key challenges that are faced during the course of objective reporting.
Senator Nuzhat Sadiq, National Chairperson, Pakistan Girl Guides Association said that the main role of media is to educate the masses to negate panic in case of any disaster. “We lose more lives due to panic during disasters”. She also emphasized on inclusion of the subject of disaster management in education curriculum at various levels.
Participants during the open dialogue shared their perspectives to improve the role of media in disaster management. Key participants included Muhammad Ziauddin, Mazhar Abbas, Jamal Shah, P J Meer, Waseem Badami, Asghar Nadeem Syed, Dr. Farzana Bari, Mati Ullah Jan, Abdul Sattar Khan, Faisal Rehman, Anwar ul Hasan, Abdur Rauf, Beenish Saleem, Munizae Jahangir, Nadia Mirza, Saira Kabeer, Sahir Lodhi, Dr. Moeed Pirzada, Ammar Masood, Faisal Shakeel Syed and reporters from print and electronic media.
The Consultative Dialogue concluded with signing of Declaration titled ‘Role of Media in Disaster Reporting’ focusing on active media participation during pre-disaster preparedness and early warning to the public especially vulnerable communities; bridge communication gap between Media, NDMA, PDMAs and all Government institutions; specialized training of media persons for disaster reporting; educating the public about awareness amongst masses especially against emerging and enhanced challenges of natural calamities in wake of Climate Change; formulation of effective mechanism with NDMA in lead role for awareness, training, information management as well as consistent endeavors for an enhanced engagement of media for disaster management.