TEMPO.CO, Bali - How the media can play a greater role in reporting development issues is a recurrent theme at public discussions. But at no time is this more crucial than today, when the Millennium Development Goals (MDG) nears its deadline in 2015 and many of its objectives remain unachieved.
At the three-day Global media Forum which began on Aug 26, in Nusa Dua, Bali, with its overarching theme of 'The Role of the Media in Realizing the Future We Want for All', media practitioners got together with development specialists to produce a roadmap for media and development, particularly the role of the media in the Post-2015 Development Agenda.
"The world we are living in today is alarmingly out of balance. This relates to the severe imbalance between people and planet Earth, as reflected in the concept of sustainable development. Equally worrisome is the serious imbalance among people," said Hubert Gijzen, Director and Representative of the UNESCO Jakarta Office, in his opening speech at the forum.
According to Gijzen, the media is crucial to meeting these challenges as a linchpin for intercultural dialogue, protection and promotion of human rights as well as upholding the values of sustainable development.
The Global Media Forum is hosted by the Communications and Information Ministry (Kominfo) and organized by the UNESCO office in Jakarta.
"Indonesians," said Kominfo Minister Tifatul Sembiring, "are proud and at the same time challenged to maintain this peaceful leadership transition which we have endured since our first democratic election 10 years ago. And Indonesia, like the UN, now has a post transitional development agenda to complete."
The key themes to be addressed during the Global Media Forum include empowering people thrugh media and information literacy and access to information and facilitating good and effective governance through media.
Yuli Ismartono
