Dr. Wilasinee Phiphitkul, Director General of Thai PBS, His Excellency, Mr. Tugsbilguun Tumurkhuleg, Ambassador of Mongolia to Thailand and Mr. Hans, ADPC's Executive Director, officiate MoU signing

Asian Disaster Preparedness Center (ADPC) signed a tripartite Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Mongolia’s National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and Thai public broadcasting service (Thai PBS) on 8 June 2018, to enhance cooperation in building the capacity of Mongolian journalists in Reporting on Disaster Mitigation and Preparedness (RedMap). The MoU signing ceremony also marked the closing of a two-week One-Person Journalist (OPJ) training for Mongolian correspondents on RedMap.

The ceremony was graced by His Excellency, Mr. Tugsbilguun Tumurkhuleg, Ambassador of Mongolia to Thailand. ADPC was also joined by Dr. Wilasinee Phiphitkul, Director General of Thai PBS Mr, Pipope Panitchpakdi, Deputy Director General, Executive Producer and Weather and Disaster News Editor of Thai PBS. Ms. Angsumalin Angsusingha, Director of Natural Disaster Policy Section, Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM) also attended the ceremony.

Mr. Hans Guttman, ADPC"s Executive Director, and Mr. Aslam Perwaiz, ADPC's Deputy Executive Director, greet His Excellency, Mr. Tugsbilguun Tumukhuleg, Ambassador of Mongolia to Thailand

His Excellency, Mr. Tugsbilguun Tumurkhuleg, Ambassador of Mongolia to Thailand appreciated the role of Thai PBS and ADPC in building the capacity of Mongolian media in disaster reporting.

The ceremony facilitated a closing session for the One-Person Journalist (OPJ) training on RedMap for three Mongolian journalists who were selected for a two-week fellowship at Thai PBS and ADPC following two media training held in collaboration with UNISDR ahead of Asian Ministerial Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction (AMCDRR) 2018.

“Thanks to NEMA Mongolia and ADPC for their cooperation in providing One-Person-Journalist Training for the Mongolian Journalists both in Thailand and in Mongolia. This training will enhance Mongolian journalists’ skill for better disaster risk communication in our region,” said Dr. Wilasinee Phiphitkul, Director General of Thai PBS.

Of nine news packages developed by the journalists during the fellowship to demonstrate their understanding of RedMap, three were screened at the closing ceremony.

Representatives from ADPC, Thai PBS, NEMA of Mongolia and DDPM pose for a group picture

Mr. Hans Guttman, Executive Director of ADPC, said that media has a very critical role to play to achieve the sustainable development goals and Agenda 2030 and SFDRR targets. “We are thankful to our partners for working with us to engaging media in raising awareness of disaster preparedness at the national and regional level,” he said and pledged ADPC’s commitment to sustaining its support to media in the future.

Dr. Bhichit Rattakul, Special Advisor and Secretary, ADPC Board encouraged media to continue reporting on disaster related issues and identify weaknesses and strengthen disaster management systems of their respective countries. Mr. Aslam Perwaiz, Deputy Executive Director also participated in the event.