Press Release

EJN Fellows Make a Splash at World Water Forum in Istanbul

(April 22, 2009) Dealing with water scarcity and preventing water conflicts were major themes at last month’s 5th World Water Forum held in Istanbul, where Internews’ Earth Journalism Network (EJN) brought six international Fellows to participate in training and reporting activities.

The journalists – representing media organizations from China, India, Nigeria, Mexico, Egypt and Zambia – first took part in a UNESCO-sponsored workshop on “Turning Water Conflict into Cooperation” which culminated with a panel discussion that included water experts from Israel and Palestine.

In addition to the international fellows, EJN also provided support to five local Turkish journalists who were covering the forum. “It was difficult for me to attend the training workshop, but I’m glad I did,” said Yonca Poyraz-Dogan, a Turkish journalist with Today’s Zaman newspaper. “I really feel like it gave me a head start in being prepared to cover the forum.”

Such assistance was quite valuable, as the forum was the “most difficult summit I’ve ever had to cover,” according to EJN Global Director James Fahn. “Not only was it huge, with 27,000 participants from over 190 countries, but a lack of press conferences and side event schedules just made it hard to figure out what was going on. In some ways, that made it all the more important to have the journalism Fellows there.”

In addition to the 58 stories so far produced by the Fellows, their participation in such programs often has important ancillary benefits. For instance, Cecilia Rosen, a Mexican science writer, noted that budget cuts had recently caused her newspaper, Reforma, to cut its science section, “but my presence at the World Water Forum means they have opened up more space for my stories in the main news section for me, which has been a real plus.”

The program was supported by UNESCO’s Science and Communication & Information programs, including: the International Hydrological Program, the PCCP program on preventing and resolving water conflicts, and the Media program on fostering dialogue, mutual understanding and education for sustainable development.

More Press Releases