The RPOA-IUU Secretariat was invited to the Regional Capacity Building Workshop on Narrating Sustainable Fisheries and IUU Fishing (IUUF) in the Indo-Pacific, held on August 1-2, 2024, in Bangkok, Thailand. This regional capacity-building event aimed to enhance journalists’ knowledge and awareness of IUUF issues and labor in the fisheries sector in the region. Additionally, the workshop sought to build networks between regional organizations and journalists to combat IUUF activities.
The meeting was attended by representatives from regional organizations such as RPOA-IUU, CTI-CFF, and SEAFDEC. The RPOA-IUU Secretariat was represented by Mr. Danang Akbar W and Mr. Fariez Luhur P. Also present were representatives from fishing communities in the Philippines and Indonesia. Journalists attending the event included representatives from various Indo-Pacific countries’ journalist communities, such as the Indonesian Journalists Alliance (AJI).
On the first day, the event was opened by Ms. Araya, Project Management Specialist from USAID RDMA, representing USAID SuFiA TS. Participants were then divided into two rooms: Media Training for Communicators and Meet-and-Greet and Gender Equality and Social Inclusion (GESI) Training for Media Professionals. The RPOA-IUU Secretariat participated in the Media Training, conducted by a Communication Specialist from Thailand. The training covered fundamental communication skills for conducting interviews and press conferences. In addition to theoretical learning, participants engaged in practical exercises such as door interviews, exclusive interviews, and press conferences. The instructor also explained how to respond to questions from journalists or interviewers, both verbally and through body language.
On the second day of training, regional organizations presented updates on their activities in the region. Journalists and participants were invited to ask questions to the regional organization representatives. Mr. Naz, the spokesperson for BFAR Philippines, inquired about unresolved border challenges in the region. The RPOA-IUU Secretariat responded that while this issue is not entirely within their jurisdiction, they can act as mediators and expressed gratitude and hope that this issue would be raised and discussed by the Philippines focal point at the next RPOA-IUU meeting.
There was also a panel discussion with journalists, where moderators asked questions such as how regional organizations can gain journalists’ attention. Journalists suggested highlighting human interest stories to make the narratives more relatable to readers, as many media outlets require such angles for their audiences. The next activity on the second day involved agenda-setting between regional organizations and journalists to strengthen journalists’ engagement with the organizations. Each organization provided key messages to journalists to help them understand the core needs and communication goals of the organizations.
The follow-up from this workshop involves the Secretariat maintaining communication with journalists and addressing their needs for widespread information dissemination with the journalists’ assistance.
