The Australian government is supporting Mishal Pakistan to deliver a series of workshops across Pakistan to build the capacity of more than 100 journalists to report on Pakistan's nutrition crisis.
Acting Australian High Commissioner, Jurek Juszczyk, who attended the closing ceremony of the Islamabad workshop Friday, said the role of media in creating awareness of malnutrition in Pakistan was critical, according to a press release issued here on Friday.
"The media can advocate for concrete measures and create a clear vision for Pakistan free from malnutrition," Juszczyk said. Pakistan is facing a malnutrition crisis with 44 per cent of the population stunted. In economic terms, malnutrition costs Pakistan more than three per cent of its GDP annually, which equates to 7.6 billion USD.
The Eliminating Hidden Hunger workshops are designed to better equip media professionals and journalists to report on Pakistan's malnutrition crisis. Workshops have already been held in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan, Punjab and Sindh. In addition to journalists, more than 60 parliamentarians and members of the federal and provincial standing committees on food security, health and agriculture have attended the workshops.
A senior journalist from Islamabad, Shahid Qureshi who attended the workshop said, "Through this initiative, media will be empowered to generate knowledge-based reporting on health-economics issues which will result in awareness among public spheres and increase accountability of policy-makers."-PR
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