Story by Oleen Ndori, Foreign Editor
THE media has been celebrated for being instrumental in advancing awareness of the Sustainable Development Goals and reporting progress made towards global peace and security.
This comes as the United Nations family in Zimbabwe held an engagement in Harare this Friday, which was attended by various media houses discussing operations of the UN in Zimbabwe as the global body marks 80 years of existence.
The UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator, Mr Edward Kallon said the media plays a key role in reflecting the needs of society while promoting accountability and social cohesion.
“The media has been instrumental in advancing awareness of the sustainable world and in reporting progress and gaps. Through reporting, analysis, and, at times, investigative work, and increasingly through the media, journalists, particularly, are amplifying the issues that matter and voices working for transformation,” he said.
“The United Nations deeply values this role, as enshrined in Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the right to freedom of expression, to seek, receive, and impart information through any media and regardless of frontiers. This remains the cornerstone of a democratic society and sustainable development.”
With Zimbabwe seeking to attain an upper middle-income society by 2030, Mr Kallon said there is a need to amplify the UN message, strengthening regular, structured engagement and establishing a sustained UN media liaison mechanism.
“The UN Zimbabwe’s roadmap for 2027-2030 supports Zimbabwe’s SDG commitment and Vision 2030 and the goal of economic development in a democratic society. Our joint media engagement in nationwide dialogue and sectoral conversation has helped transform technical discussions into public understanding and civic mobilisation. Collaboration has supported joint messages and campaigns that amplify UN programmes, including resilience, climate change, end of virus prevention, human rights, disability inclusion, and social protection,” he said.
“To better accelerate progress on the SDG system over the next five years, there is a need to establish a sustained UN media liaison mechanism that includes briefing, specific briefings, and editorial roundtables, to share timely data early morning on programme results.”
Representing journalists, the Director for Zimbabwe National Editors Forum (ZINEF), Njabulo Ncube, spoke on the importance of exchanging notes between the global body and local media houses and establishing rapport in the work being done.
“As ZINEF, this engagement is crucial in answering the national question relating to peace and development and the role we as journalists can play in making Zimbabwe sustainably develop.”
With statistics indicating that the 2022-2026 Zimbabwe-UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework has supported implementation of the 2030 agenda across four interconnected areas, people, planet, prosperity, and peace; collaboration with the media continues to support the vision of improved lives and the promotion of sustainable development.
