The United Nations has urged African Journalists to pay more focus on climate justice reporting aimed at injecting renewed momentum into the realisation of just transition and expanding informed public participation across the continent.
The UN, through its Under-Secretary-General for Global Communications, Melissa Fleming, said that at a time of widespread misinformation and growing public distrust, credible and ethical journalism is central to sustaining informed societies and effective climate action.
While virtually addressing participants at the Nairobi-held workshop on climate justice, Ms Fleming underscored the indispensable role of professional journalism in protecting the integrity of the global information ecosystem.
She emphasised the importance of advancing solutions-oriented journalism that informs the public, counters false narratives and supports constructive engagement without compromising independence or professional standards.
A core focus of the program was climate justice reporting through a labour lens, reflecting the dual identities of FAJ affiliates as journalists and trade union organisations.
Under the umbrella of the Federation of African Journalists (FAJ), the scribes held a three-day continental workshop in Nairobi under the theme of ‘Strengthening the Capacity of Journalists and Their Unions for the Effective Realisation of Just Transition in Africa.
The workshop held between December 18 and 20 brought together journalist leaders and union representatives from across the continent, with support from Mondiaal FNV.
Participants analysed how climate change is already reshaping jobs, livelihoods, food security and public health and discussed why these realities should be central to media coverage.
The participants agreed that when journalism fails to clearly explain climate policies and actions, it results to weakened accountability, limited participation and increased vulnerability among workers and communities.
Other sessions explored how journalists could more effectively reflect the role of trade unions in defending rights, securing decent work and advancing inclusive climate action through social dialogue.
Participants agreed that linking climate action to work, wages and working conditions makes just transition tangible and meaningful to the public rather than abstract or technocratic.
FAJ President Omar Faruk Osman underscored the responsibility of African journalists at a defining moment for the continent.
“Journalists are not passive witnesses to the climate crisis but active actors in shaping public understanding and accountability. Our responsibility is to translate complex climate decisions into clear and accessible information, particularly around the just transition pathways Africa has chosen,” said Osman.
The President said trust from workers and communities already bearing the impacts of climate change depends on journalism that explains how these decisions affect their lives in practical and honest terms. “Preserving information integrity is therefore essential, because without accuracy and credibility, both quality journalism and effective climate action are undermined,” he said.
Information integrity was addressed as a core pillar of the workshop, in line with growing global concern that climate action is inseparable from the integrity of the information environment.
A dedicated session drew on perspectives from the Office of the United Nations Secretary-General for Global Communications and UNESCO to address the rising threat posed by climate misinformation and disinformation.
Prominent UN speakers emphasised that false or misleading narratives undermine informed public participation, erode trust in institutions, and hinder timely and effective climate responses.
They emphasised that African journalists play a vital role in safeguarding the information space by upholding professional standards of verification, strengthening media and information literacy and ensuring that climate reporting is accurate, evidence-based, transparent and firmly rooted in the public interest.
The workshop also examined regional trends in climate justice reporting and the escalating safety risks faced by journalists covering environmental and climate issues.
Participants from all five regions of Africa shared experiences of physical threats, digital harassment and legal pressure, often linked to powerful interests seeking to suppress scrutiny of environmental harm.
The discussions reaffirmed that journalist safety is inseparable from the public’s right to know and that protecting reporters is essential to maintaining reliable and independent climate coverage.
The final day focused on building a coordinated African roadmap for just transition reporting and strengthening FAJ's climate justice program with participants adopting the Nairobi Declaration, which further consolidates FAJ’s commitment to climate justice, the realisation of just transitions and the protection of information integrity.
FAJ confirmed its commitment to supporting reliable and fair climate journalism in Africa and collaborating with partners such as the United Nations, the African Union, trade unions, and similar organisations to help the media play a positive role in promoting fair transitions and inclusive climate action for all African people, especially those in vulnerable communities.
