Media for Inclusive Green Growth (MIGG) Nepal

The project set against the backdrop of Nepal's pressing environmental challenges and recent constitutional changes affecting natural resource management (NRM) governance. Nepal faces significant environmental threats, including climate change impacts such as GDP loss and risks to key sectors like energy, agriculture, and water resources. The country heavily relies on hydropower, but rapid development of hydro projects has led to ecological damage, particularly affecting freshwater biodiversity. Notably, the shift to a federal democratic system since 2015 offers opportunities for decentralized decision-making but also poses challenges in policy coherence and accountability. Despite changes in legislation, effective implementation of NRM policies is hindered by issues like unclear government functions and levels of accountability, weak capacity, and corruption. Marginalized groups, including women, youth, and ethnic minorities, are disproportionately affected by environmental impacts and often excluded from decision-making processes. However, there are challenges related to media coverage of environmental issues. While Nepal has a diverse media landscape, outlets lack resources and technical ability to cover environmental issues effectively. Social media influencers, though popular, lack understanding of policy-making and journalistic ethics. Misinformation and disinformation further complicate the media environment, hindering evidence-based reporting and public understanding of climate change. Inclusivity in media representation and newsrooms is lacking, with marginalized groups often overlooked or portrayed as victims rather than active participants in sustainable development and green growth issues. Women are underrepresented in journalism, particularly in leadership roles, and gender issues receive limited attention in media coverage. 

The project holds significant relevance in the face of overcoming these challenges. The media plays a critical role in this exchange by informing the public and policy makers, facilitating public debate, and strengthening transparency and accountability. Thus, strengthening media capacity to provide evidence-based reporting on green growth and natural resource management (NRM), engaging citizen journalists, facilitating multistakeholder dialogues, and promoting inclusivity in media representation and coverage would create public awareness and pressure among lawmakers to have policy interventions for sustainable development. 

The action under this project aligns with Nepal's transition to a federal system and contributes to national plans such as the Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) to the Paris Climate Agreement and National Climate Change Policy. It promotes green growth and sustainable development, raising public awareness of government commitments. Also, the project aligns with regional synergies, such as the Right to Voice project and Nepal Climate Change Support Programme, to support the building of a green, resilient, and inclusive economy, fostering regional synergies and collaboration.

The project has following major activities:

1. Provide training, Training-of-Trainers capacity building and support, seed grants and fellowships for journalists to increase and improve evidence-based and inclusive media reporting on green growth and natural resource management.
2. Engage citizen journalists to implement local “Green Citizens” radio programmes on social media.
3. Facilitate provincial and national multistakeholder dialogues to coordinate and support sustainable development.