The In-Country Workshop on Climate Change and Disaster Risk Management was held in Yangon, Myanmar from 26 to 27 July 2016. Our host and partner for this event was Forever Group and the event was held at the Myanmar Media Development Center (MMDC). The Bangkok office of the Asian Disaster Preparedness Center (ADPC) and the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR) both provided resource persons to make this workshop possible. The workshop was attended by 27 producers, scriptwriter, technicians, journalists and media officers from different departments in Forever Group and MRTV4.

For the beginning of Day One, UNISDR Communication Specialist Mr Andy McElroy led the way. He gave a brief introduction into the concept of disaster risk reduction with relevant examples, such as the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction. Then he explained how both disaster scenarios and disaster risk can be tackled differently when developing a news story. He split the participants into groups who separately developed story concepts on covering disasters and major events in the field, and what important facts must be reflected to the audience. He was followed by a presentation from Mr Min Khin Aung of BBC Media Action Myanmar. His presentation focused on 'lifelines' and the necessity of developing media coverage that caters to those communities affected by disasters rather than simply providing information.

On Day Two, the ADPC team (Program Mananger Atiq Ahmed and Communication Specialist Don Tartaglione) assisting in different sessions revolving around climate change. The opening sessions went into the basic science on climate change to provide the groundwork for the participants on the issue. The participants were then given insight on the different jargon and scientific terms around climate change and how it can be effectively communicated. Their final exercise was to construct a programme concept based on the concepts presented. 

The overall workshop went smoothly and was well-received. The participants were engaged throughout and the MMDC support staff were very cooperative and helpful. Many of the participants spoke of how they will directly apply the lessons learned in their coverage of disasters and related environmental issues.