DILI, 08 june 2021 (TATOLI)-Secretary of State for Civil Protection (SEPC) Joaquim Gusmão Martins said that early prevention of climate change is very crucial to be socialized to the public, especially to people in rural areas.
“We all know that natural disasters, floods and landslides on April 4th were unexpectedly caused by Climate Change, therefore the Government through the Secretary of State for Civil Protection (SEPC), The Ministry of Administration and Territories together with the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) create a link for journalists to socialize with our people in rural areas regarding climate change,” Said Martins at the TP this Tuesday.
Martins realizes that the role of journalists is very important to convey accurate information to the public, therefore the government wants to involve journalists to find out all the material links that have been prepared by UNDP on Climate Change to be accessed by the journalists before reporting on Climate change early to the public.
When journalists receive training on the terminology of Climate Change and mastered the material on climate change, it will be very easy to influence our people who live on the Coast, under the mountains, and on the edge of the river early to be able to carry out early evacuation before the disaster occurs.
Martins also realizes that climate change often occurs in Timor-Leste because our farmers always cut down trees to make firewood, sell it and some farmers cut trees to make gardens as livelihood, therefore he said, the involvement of journalists is to remind them, by using skill approach and socializing the effects of climate change, will help our farming community to be aware of helping Timor-Leste as a Green Country in the future,” he said.
The Representative of the UNDP in Timor-Leste Munkhtuya Altangerel said the climate change program had long been carried out in Timor-Leste with the Government through the SEPC and the State Secretary for Environmental Protection.
“In the future, we will involve journalists to inform the public about what the Government – UNDP has done for early prevention of Climate Change in Timor-Leste,” Ms. Altangerel said.
For this reason, all materials regarding Climate Change have been prepared by UNDP and all links will be distributed to all journalists to be studied to make it easier for them to cover Climate change to make the people of Timor-Leste aware of the climate change that exists and Timor-Leste will not run out of water, there will be no falling of trees anywhere and so on.
This program has been running since 2020 and will end in 2026.
The budget comprising from Timorese Government US$ 36,062M, Green Climate Change US$ 22,356,805 M, and from UNDP budgets US$ 0,4 M.
Journalist : Camilio de Sousa
Editór: Rafy Belo
