Earth Journalism Network welcomes Pacific partners

The Pacific Environment Journalism Network, made up of a small but growing group of environment journalists across the region, has been officially welcomed into the global Earth Journalism Network (EJN).

EJN is a project of global non-profit Internews, which is a worldwide network of at least 9,000 environmental journalists from over 120 countries aimed at improving training and skills development.

This was made possible after a presentation by PEJN founding member and coordinator Iliesa Tora at an Internews Training of the Trainers workshop in Rayong, Bangkok in Thailand this week.

“The Pacific Environment Journalism Network was born out of COP23 in Bonn, Germany when the United Nations Climate Change Secretariat announced in their communiqué as part of the COP23 outcomes the setting up of the PEJN,” says Tora.

Tora has also invited EJN to the upcoming Pacific Media Summit which is being hosted by Tonga from May 7th to the 11th this year.

“It will be the perfect opportunity to not only introduce the global work of EJN  into the Pacific as well as launch Pacific Environment Journalism Network at the same time,’ says Tora.

EJN Executive Director James Fahn says they are excited by the possibilities ahead, given the huge impacts of climate changes already being experienced across the entire region.

“The Pacific is at the very forefront of climate change so it encouraging to see the newly formed Pacific Environment Journalism Network mentoring young journalists to take an active interest in pursuing these stories not just for their local audiences, but also for the wider global audience and EJN is well placed to make that happen,” says Fahn.

Current membership of the PEJN, with 13 regional journalists, come from Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomons, Vanuatu and Tonga.

SOURCE: PEJN/PACNEWS