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ERRA, UNHCR launch radio show for quake affectees
19 July 2006
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, July 19 (UNHCR) – The UN refugee agency, in collaboration
with the Media Wing of ERRA (Earthquake Reconstruction and Rehabilitation
Authority), today launched a radio program to update earthquake affectees in
Northern Pakistan on issues and policies affecting their return and recovery.
The program will be aired in earthquake-affected areas and Islamabad.
The first program of “Hemat Javan Hai” (“The Will is Strong”) will be broadcast
at 18:00 hours today on Power 99 FM radio. It will start with an interview with
Lt. Gen. Nadeem, Deputy Chairman of ERRA, focusing on compensatory issues
related to earthquake-hit areas. The daily half-hour show will contain
interviews with Government of Pakistan policy-makers, reports from the
earthquake-affected areas and interviews with aid workers, returnees and people
still living in relief camps.
Every Sunday at the same time, there will be a 90-minute live program featuring
a panel of government officials or other experts responding to queries or
complaints by affectees.
ERRA will help coordinate the program. “Radio being one of the most powerful
media of communication can not only effectively disseminate timely information,
but can also be one of the major sources of behavioral change,” said Lt. Gen.
Nadeem.
Since information and awareness is key to successful rebuilding, ERRA has
launched information dissemination programs in collaboration with UNHCR, and
“Hemat Javan Hai” is one of the examples. He said that in the age of
information, effective and smooth flow of information to affectees is one of the
ERRA's main priorities so that affectees can gain maximum benefit from
government’s programs.
“The low literacy rate in some areas means that radio is the most immediate and
accessible medium,” said Kilian Kleinschmidt, UNHCR's emergency coordinator for
the earthquake operation. “But the program should not turn into a 'complaint'
forum. It will take a balanced approach to legitimate problems and queries, to
inform the wider public about the situation on the ground and the enormous task
of rebuilding shattered lives.”
The program also seeks to counter misinformation and rumours while establishing
a dialogue between affectees and decision-makers in the process of
reconstruction and rehabilitation.
Topics of the radio show will include compensation, relocation, livelihood
opportunities, and building codes and practices. Land and legal issues, updates
on reconstruction and rehabilitation efforts, as well as central- and
local-level policies will also be covered.
To maximize the reach of the radio show, UNHCR is planning to help the
non-governmental organization, Internews, distribute 10,000 radio sets to the
quake affectees. The refugee agency will also support Power 99 FM radio station
in their training workshops for local journalists contributing to the show.
Media Contacts: Ms. Vivian Tan, UNHCR, Mobile: 0300 500 1133
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