Samoa Observer Editor a Fellow in United Nations Programme

By Staff Writer 07 May 2017, 12:00AM

The Editor of the Samoa Observer has been chosen as one of the Fellows to attend the 4th United Nations Global Road Safety Week in Sydney, Australia.

Mata’afa Keni Lesa left yesterday to join editors and senior writers from Australia, China, Laos, Vietnam, Philippines, Malaysia and other Asian countries for the three-day programme.

The programme starts at the Sydney Opera House today with a meeting with Australia’s Minister for Infrastructure and Transport, Darren Chester. 

This will be followed by the launch of the United Nations Safety Week at the same location.

The programme, organised by the World Health Organisation (W.H.O), is to build the capacity journalists from the participating countries.  It is part of an overall effort to address the fact that road traffic injuries kill more people aged 15-49 years in the Western Pacific Region than any other single cause. 

“Public and decision maker awareness of the magnitude of road traffic injuries and that they are highly preventable is a key component of saving lives on our roads. This is a role to which media and journalists can provide a unique perspective and input with the “power of their pen”

“To help improve media coverage and advocacy of this global public health crisis, the George Institute for Global Health and the Western Pacific Regional Office of the World Health Organization (W.H.O) is hosting a capacity development programme for journalists from low and middle income countries from the Western Pacific Region.”

Participants will join all activities of the Regional Launch of the 4th United Nations Road Safety Week, hosted by the Australian Government on 7 May 2017 followed by an immersion into Australia’s Safe Systems approach to road safety and its engagement with the media to achieve road safety outcomes. 

The programme consists of theory based training as well as practical site visits to various road safety stakeholders.

“The training component will focus on improving and enhancing media stories on road safety proposed as part of their applications, including the use of data to demonstrate how road safety affects communities on many levels, digital tools to find data from various sources and how to engage audiences using visualizations such as interactive graphics and social media.”

 

SAMOA OBSERVER REPORTER IN CHINA

A Samoa Observer Reporter, Deidre Tautua - Fanene, also left the country last night.

She is on her way to China to take part in the annual study programme hosted and funded by the Guangdong provincial government for Pacific island countries from 8-26 May 2017. 

Mrs. Fanene is joining four other young Samoans from the public sector who are taking part in the programme.]

By Staff Writer 07 May 2017, 12:00AM
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