LocationsReporting with Purpose: Fiji’s Newsrooms Embrace Human Rights and Social Cohesion
June 19, 2025
This workshop is part of a UN Peacebuilding Fund-supported programme aimed at strengthening social cohesion, national reconciliation, and human rights in Fiji.
Suva, Fiji – As part of ongoing efforts to support democratic dialogue and inclusive journalism in Fiji, a partnership between the UN Office of Human Rights (OHCHR), the Fiji Media Association, and University of South Pacific (USP) Journalism School, are hosting a two-day workshop aimed at empowering journalists to promote human rights, gender equality, and social cohesion through their reporting.
The workshop brings together over 30 participants including editors, reporters, and media practitioners from across Fiji to explore how the media can serve as a catalyst for social cohesion, human rights, and gender awareness.
This workshop is part of the broader United Nations Peacebuilding Fund-supported Strengthening Social Cohesion Pathways, Human Rights and Women’s Civic Participation programme, which supports national reconciliation efforts and strengthens social cohesion, as well as national human rights frameworks and institutions.
The workshop will provide practical tools to help journalists report more accurately and sensitively on issues of discrimination, inclusion, and accountability. Through expert-led sessions, participants will explore key human rights principles, international frameworks, and Fiji’s legal context – equipping them to tell stories that inform, empower, and connect communities.
Minister for Women, Children and Social Protection, Honourable Sashi Kiran.
Fiji Media Association rep, Felix Chaudhary.
Minister for Women, Children and Social Protection, Honourable Sashi Kiran said:
“In a society as diverse as ours, media reporting must not only inform,it has to be the voice of our people. This is especially important for underrepresented groups, including women, youth, people with disabilities and those in remote and rural areas. In the context of rising misinformation, gender-based discrimination and online hate, the role of ethical and rights-based journalism is more critical than ever.”
Representative of the Fiji Media Association, Felix Chaudhary, said:
“The workshop is being conducted at a critical time for Fiji. If there ever was a time that we needed to discuss social cohesion and the role that the media can and should play, it is now. We need to be speaking about social cohesion, building unity, and celebrating diversity.”
USP School of Public Arts, Communication and Education, Professor Shailendra Singh
OHCHR Regional Representative for the Pacific, Heike Alefsen.
USP School of Public Arts, Communication and Education, Professor Shailendra Singh, added:
“Teamwork is the essence of social cohesion. By collaborating today, we are practising what we are preaching. The aim of this workshop is clear: to help journalists report better on Fiji’s unique social cohesion challenges.”
Speaking on behalf of the joint UN programme, OHCHR Regional Representative for the Pacific, Heike Alefsen said:
“The media plays a critical role in democratic societies. It informs the public, holds institutions accountable, and provides space for dialogue and diverse voices, not always harmonious, sometimes robust, but always important. This workshop is about reinforcing the media’s role in upholding human rights and fostering a more cohesive, equal and just society.”
The two-day workshop will include interactive sessions, panel discussions, and hands-on training led by representatives from the Fiji Truth and Reconciliation Commission, UN Resident Coordinator’s Office, OHCHR, UNDP, UN Women, UNICEF, USP Journalism, and civil society.
Topics will range from freedom of expression and access to information to ethical reporting and gender equality in the newsroom, as well as social cohesion and reconciliation processes in Fiji.
The workshop concludes on 20 June.
For more information, please contact:
Ashna Kumar, Communications Associate | UNDP Pacific Office | (E) Ashna.kumar@undp.org or Christina Mihoko Deakin, Human Rights Specialist | UN OHCHR Pacific | (E) christina.deakin1@un.org.
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