Commonwealth News and Information Service (London)
6 October 2008
Journalists covering the Commonwealth Finance Ministers Meeting in Castries, St Lucia reflected on the way the story of the rising food and fuel crises has been covered in their respective countries and newsrooms and resolved to be more comprehensive and complete in future coverage of the story.
The journalists, drawn from different Commonwealth countries shared experiences--challenges, best practices and prospects of covering the twin problems during a one day workshop on 5 October 2008.
"The food and fuel crisis is a very important story, and we certainly need to do more factual, balanced and comprehensive coverage on it to make it more meaningful to our audiences," said Ken Richards from the BBC Caribbean Service.
The workshop was organised by Commonwealth Secretariat and the St Lucia Government Information Services.
In a discussion with the journalists, Commonwealth Deputy Secretary-General, Ransford Smith told the scribes about the uniqueness of the association as a trusted partner in creating an avenue for member countries to discuss pertinent issues, share experiences, and build a consensus on issues of common interest.
Mr Smith said that the Commonwealth Finance Ministers Meetings present such opportunities for ministers to tap into the spread and breadth of one another's experiences.
The theme of this year's CFMM which opens on 6 October is managing the implications of high food and fuel prices.
Ministers will consider the implications of rising prices on economic and social development before turning to the policy implications for their portfolios.
"The discussions should enable Ministers to identify short and long term policy responses to the fuel and energy crisis," said Commonwealth Secretary-General, Kamalesh Sharma, in an earlier statement ahead of the meeting.
Ministers will also discuss the ongoing Commonwealth call for the reform of international institutions, following the mandate given by its Heads of Government at their meetings in Kampala in 2007, and in June this year. The focus of their discussions will be to continue Commonwealth efforts to promote deeper reforms in the World Bank and IMF.
They will also follow up on their discussions of 2007 on the economic implications of climate change, through assessing the impact of climate change on the trading prospects of Small States.
Be the first to Write a Comment!
Copyright © 2008 Commonwealth News and Information Service. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). To contact the copyright holder directly for corrections — or for permission to republish or make other authorized use of this material, click here.
AllAfrica aggregates and indexes content from over 125 African news organizations, plus more than 200 other sources, who are responsible for their own reporting and views. Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica.
