Media industry key stakeholder in achieving the SDGs, says UN EcoSoc President

Inaugural SDGs and the Media forum explores how to empower
journalists to hold power to account in all countries.                                       London | 25 July 2022
The Association for International Broadcasting (AIB) and the Presidency of the United
Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) staged a ground-breaking conference
on 15 July to explore the relationship between media companies, journalists, and the
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Opened by the President of the Economic and Social Council, H.E. Mr Collen Vixen
Kelapile, the event brought together hundreds of participants from 30+ countries to
discuss how the world’s media can ensure that citizens in every country understand the
need for the planet’s inhabitants to move toward greater sustainability.
In his opening address, H.E. Mr Kelapile noted “the media industry is a vital stakeholder
in achieving the SDGs. It is key in promoting solidarity and reinforcing accountability
from the global leaders so that they take the necessary bold decisions.”
He continued: “Fair and accurate reporting is very important, and it’s a must in this
process. Let us send a strong call to action to journalists in every country to engage in
support of the achievement of the SDGs.”
“We also want to hear from you on how the UN, the individual member states, and the
media could become better partners in achieving the SDGs.The conference heard from four journalists who are actively engaged in telling stories
about sustainability to audiences worldwide: David Shukman, former BBC Science
Editor; Steve Herman, National Correspondent, Voice of America; Aida Salihbegović,
Producer, Balkan Booster; and Angelina Kariakina, Head of News, Ukraine Public
Broadcasting.
Central to the discussion was how “audience fatigue” can be avoided when covering
stories about sustainability. There’s a need to make the facts relevant to audiences – for
example, explaining that an area the size of a football pitch is being lost to
deforestation in the Amazon every minute rather than giving a measurement that
people cannot readily assimilate, said David Shukman. There must be a fresh angle to
ensure that such stories become part of normal news coverage about politics, science,
medicine, natural disasters and so on.
It’s vital to avoid “preachy journalism”, noted Steve Herman, and instead focus on
telling stories about solutions and successful initiatives that communities and
organisations are developing. There’s a need to be alive to corporate greenwashing,
said both Shukman and Herman.
The potential for collaboration in telling stories across borders was demonstrated by
DW’s Balkan Booster that brings together young journalists from five Balkan countries.
They share experiences with other journalists from neighbouring countries,
demonstrating that problems override geographical boundaries and nationality. One
season of Balkan Booster focused on sustainability issues, explained Aida Salihbegović,
and stories originated on the programme were picked up by local broadcasters across
the Balkan region.
For Ukraine’s public broadcaster, observed Angelina Kariakina, covering the SDGs is
vital as they are not only about sustainability. One of the Goals is peace, so covering the
SDGs is highly relevant to citizens in Ukraine. In Kariakina’s view, the war in Ukraine has
a negative impact on achieving all 17 of the Goals – from poverty to energy to environment to foodThe potential for creating effective corporate social responsibility initiatives by media
companies in areas connected to the SDGs was highlighted by Georgia Arnold,
Executive Director of the MTV Foundation. MTV Foundation has created series focusing
on sexual health, gender-based violence and other key social issues that are distributed
across sub-Saharan Africa and India.
The MTV Foundation has been operating since the late-1990s and has gained immense
traction with its work across the regions it serves, through television, radio, graphic
novels, digital platforms, and social media. It is an example that other media companies
can follow, given their huge story-telling abilities.
Concluding the event, AIB chief executive Simon Spanswick said this SDGs and the
Media forum kicked off a series that is planned to be organised in conjunction with the
United Nations. The aim will be to explore effective ways for the global media industry
to support story-telling around the SDGs and the need to protect the planet.
H.E. Mr Collen Vixen Kelapile agreed, saying that it is his hope that “this forum can
become a special initiative of the successive presidents of EcoSoc and organised
annually on the margins of the High-Level Political Forum.”
“Working together, we can increase the level of awareness and motivation among
global citizens in addressing the enormous challenges we face and building the better
world that was envisioned in the 2030 agenda when it was adopted in 2015.”