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WHEN DISASTER STRIKES: INFORMATION SAVES LIVES.


Over 30 journalists and bloggers, drawn from the North-West Region, have been drilled on reporting in armed conflict and advocacy on the protection of rights of civilians in armed conflict in line with international humanitarian laws as enshrined in the Geneva Conventions of 12 August 1949.*

Aimed at equipping journalists with the skills they need to carry out their role in crisis reporting, and how they can use their various media outlets to advocate for an effective and efficient humanitarian coverage of the ongoing anglophone crisis, the workshop provided participants the opportunity to work towards advocacy actions on the protection of the rights of civilians in the context of the armed conflict rocking the two Anglophone regions and also, to evaluate the humanitarian response system in Cameroon, comparatively with what entails elsewhere. 

The workshop also aimed at improving skills of citizen journalists towards a more professional reporting, by engaging them to capture and report on human interest stories that could inspire key stakeholders towards decisions that will fast track genuine solutions to the conflict and eventually, a sustainable peace through an adequate humanitarian response.

 

Facilitated by Mr. Charles Blasius Nji, participants worked in groups to better comprehend and apprehend the principles of humanitarian response; impartiality, neutrality, independence and humanity. Identifying the actors and the challenges they face wasn’t left out as participants for over an hour, analyzed conflict affected communities and conflict sensitive journalism. Participants exploited the different stages of the ongoing anglophone crisis  and how they can contribute to an effective humanitarian response.

 “People need information as much as water, food, medicine or shelter.”

Information and communication are key tools for saving lives in an emergency response. They help communities in crisis by allowing them to know what’s going on around them, to organize, to coordinate, and to identify sources of support and assistance. Information and communication are also vital for aid organizations in assessing what people need and where, and to tell people how they can best access urgent assistance. Equally important, information and communication function to give communities a say in the events affecting them, to express their needs, to say what is working, and to make suggestions as to how an emergency response can be improved. Local media play a critical role in bringing important information to communities affected by conflicts or natural disasters. Local media outlets are known and trusted by the communities they serve; local journalists in turn understand the needs of their own communities and know where to go, and whom to talk to, to find out what is going on. They can also ensure that community voices are raised on critical concerns. 

 

*The Geneva Conventions comprise four treaties, and three additional protocols, that establish the standards of international law for humanitarian treatment in war. The singular term Geneva Convention usually denotes the agreements of 1949, negotiated in the aftermath of the Second World War (1939–1945), which updated the terms of the two 1929 treaties, and added two new conventions. The Geneva Conventions extensively defined the basic rights of wartime prisoners (civilians and military personnel), established protections for the wounded and sick, and established protections for the civilians in and around a war-zone. The treaties of 1949 were ratified, in their entirety or with reservations, by 196 countries. Moreover, the Geneva Convention also defines the rights and protections afforded to non-combatants. The Geneva Conventions are about soldiers in war; they do not address the use of weapons of war, which are the subject of the Hague Conventions, and the bio-chemical warfare Geneva Protocol.


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