International webinar on Risk Communication held at Tezpur University

TEZPUR: 'Communication for All' was proposed as the 18th SDG to bridge the ever widening inequalities in the society during a four-day international webinar series organized by the Department of Mass Communication and Journalism, Tezpur University in collaboration with UNICEF, Assam. The webinar 'SDG Sensitive Risk Communication and Community Engagement (RCCE) Responses to COVID-19' held recently with a view to bring together global, regional and local narratives to highlight instances of best practices in RCCE responses to COVID-19. The webinar series deliberated upon the key principles and issues in risk communication and made a strong case for the need to address the gaps in communication at the community level and strengthen the voices of the people.

The event brought together eight professionals and academics from seven different countries like - India, USA, Belgium, Chile, Brazil, Sri Lanka and New Zealand, to address over 400 registered participants consisting representatives of media, development professionals, researchers and students from over 50 different institutions in India. Participants from USA, Pakistan, Indonesia, Sri Lanka and Nigeria also joined the webinar. The live stream of the daily sessions over YouTube and Facebook also received an audience of over 1,000 each day.

The inaugural session on December 14, 2020 was addressed by personalities like SiddarthaShrestha (Chief, Communication for Development, UNICEF India), Dr. SupriyaBezbaruah (Technical Officer, Risk Communication, WHO South-East Asia Region) and Dr. Madhulika Jonathan (Chief of Field Office, UNICEF Assam and North East India). The Vice Chancellor of Tezpur University, Professor V.K. Jain delivered the inaugural address. Professor David H. Mould (Professor Emeritus, School of Media Arts and Studies, Ohio University, USA) delivered the first lecture on 'Risk Communication in Emergencies: Principles and Practices'. He elaborated that risk communication strategies during COVID-19 cannot be universalized, it needs to be contextualized based on the social, political, cultural and linguistic differences among segments of population in various countries.

In his deliberations, Professor Jan Servaes (Professor Emeritus, Catholic University of Leuven, Belgium) established the necessity of 'Communication for All' as the 18th SDG to bridge the ever widening inequalities in our societies. Professor B.P. Sanjay (Professor, Communication and Media Studies, Manipal Institute of Communication, Manipal, India) highlighted that in order to achieve SDGs, contextualized communication strategies and customized media partnership are required, rather than advocacy of centralized media systems.

The lecture series came to a close with concluding remarks by Professor Joya Chakraborty (Head of Department of Mass Communication and Journalism, Tezpur University) who reflected on the four-day deliberations and reiterated on the need for continued dialogue and engagement to ensure inclusive communication for all.

Also Watch: Major setback for Promod Boro-led BTC; Gauhati High Court orders status quo

Also Read: NABARD organizes bookkeeping training for SHG members in Gaurisagar