Asian Disaster Preparedness Center in partnership with the Asia-Pacific Institute for Broadcasting Development (AIBD), UNISDR and Forever Group, the leading media and entertainment group in Myanmar, launched a two-day training workshop for the Media on Disaster Risk Management and Climate Change Adaptation.

The training aimed to have participants analyze the media’s coverage of disasters and climate change, boost their understanding of both topics, and identify where these subjects can fit into new or existing programs.

The following photos show some of the key events throughout the course.



Forever group selected a diverse group of 25 participants that attended the training whose roles included producers, presenters, script writers, reporters, cameramen and other professionals from MRTV-4 Myanmar.

Andy McElroy, Program Officer, UNISDR, facilitated the first day presenting on disasters, the news cycle, reporting trends, and disaster risk management.


Participants often worked in groups to brainstorm discussion topics and later shared their work.


The training included a variety of group work sessions to keep all participants engaged.


One group work activity had participants extract important information from a press release and describe how they would create a story around the information. Despite the work being serious, facilitators created a light-hearted work environment that encouraged participation.


Representatives from BBC Media Action were also present at the training. Phyo Zin Mar Wai, BRACED Project Manager, BBC Media Action (Center) gave a presentation on the background of disaster risk and communication technologies in Myanmar. Min Khin Aung (Jack) Media Trainer, BBC Media Action, (right) delivered a presentation on BBC Media Action’s lifeline initiative where media personnel report useful information specifically for disaster affected communities.


Atiq Ahmed, Project Manager, ADPC, facilitated most of the second day. During one exercise he instructed participants to draw their definition of climate change impacts. This helped participants visualize how climate change is affecting their planet.


This session described the importance of storytelling when relaying the importance of disaster preparation and climate change. Participants shared their own experiences in disaster situations, many were directly affected by Cyclone Nargis.

During a group work activity, participants described how they can mitigate the effects of climate change and add those objectives to their news stories.

During the final exercise, participants combined everything they learned over the past two days and identified where they could add disaster risk management or climate change information to a new or existing program.

The training was a success and there are plans to follow up with participants to help disseminate their stories that include climate change adaptation and disaster risk management themes.