KATEMA

By XAVIER MANCHISHI-
ZAMBIA and the United Nations (UN) have agreed to enhance cooperation between the local media and the UN Department of Public Information (DPI).
The agreement was reached when Information and Broadcasting Services minister, Joseph Katema paid a courtesy call on UN under Secretary General for Communications and Public Information, Peter Launsky-Tieffenthal at the UN Secretariat in New York.
Mr Launsky-Tieffenthal said DPI was interested in more partnerships with radio and TV stations in Zambia.
“I understand that in terms of radio and television, there are several co-operations with Zambia already but we are obviously interested in more. We would like to take you on your expression of interest to expand our cooperation when it comes to providing UN content to radio and television stations in Zambia,” he said.
Mr Launsky-Tieffenthal requested Dr Katema to help DPI identify radio and television stations that would be interested accessing materials that the department was producing.
Dr Katema commended Mr Launsky-Tieffenthal and DPI for keeping the international community informed about UN activities.
He called for strengthening of the partnership to enhance the standards of journalism in Zambia.
The Minister requested the DPI to help Zambian media practitioners with training which could see journalists being briefly attached to the department to understand the operations of the UN.
He commended the work of the UN Information Centre (UNICs) in Lusaka.
On the Dag Hammarskjold Institute for Peace and Conflict Studies established in honour of the late UN Secretary-General, Dag Hammarskjold at the Copperbelt University, Dr Katema told Mr Launsky-Tieffenthal that Zambia appreciates UN support to the Institute.
Dr Katema said the master’s degree courses the Institute is offering were key in conflict prevention and resolution in Africa.
Mr Launsky-Tieffenthal acknowledged the Minister’s request, and suggested that the Dag Hammarskjold Institute for Peace and Conflict Studies should partner with the UN Academic Impact.
The Academic Impact is a UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon global initiative that aligns institutions of higher education with the UN in actively supporting 10 universally accepted principles in the areas of human rights, literacy, sustainability and conflict resolution.
“Help us identify more universities and colleges that might be interested in UN Academic Impact to expand cooperation,” the Under-Secretary-General said.