The UNESCO–AUB seminar on “Supporting African SIDS media in climate and disaster reporting” concluded in Port Louis, Mauritius, on 29 October 2025. The event brought together media professionals, experts, communication regulators, representatives of international organisations and the Government of Mauritius.
During the closing dinner hosted by the Mauritius Broadcasting Corporation, Mauritian Foreign Affairs Minister Ritesh Ramphul stressed that the media play a unique and irreplaceable role in ensuring that citizens, policymakers and institutions are properly informed about climate and disaster challenges, especially in emergency situations, and about the measures needed to strengthen resilience.
AUB Director General Grégoire Ndjaka thanked partners from the United Nations disaster-risk system and the Government of Mauritius for their support. He noted that more than 1,500 journalists across Africa have already been trained on these issues.
Media institutions in Small Island Developing States nevertheless continue to face capacity constraints in reporting effectively on climate change and disasters. The project focused on four African SIDS: Cabo Verde, Comoros, Mauritius and São Tomé and Príncipe.
Over three days, participating media organisations presented their institutional disaster preparedness and response plans and cross-border projects for peer review and feedback.
