Press release | 19 April 2023

IFAD at the Perugia International Journalism Festival

IFAD Event: How do we make reporting on Indigenous Peoples’ issues safe and meaningful?

Media contact
Alberto Trillo Barca

Communication Officer, Global Media

[email protected]

Rome, 19 April 2023 – Indigenous Peoples’ issues remain an underreported topic in the media despite their relevance and intrinsic connection to environmental issues, and their key role in protecting the environment. Media coverage is often hampered by safety risks as well as a lack of understanding of the complexity of intersecting issues. Journalism can also be a vehicle to amplify voices from underserved communities.

How can we collectively create a safe environment that supports meaningful reporting and gives voice and space to Indigenous Peoples to tell their own story?

The UN’s International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) will engage with the journalistic community in an event at the International Journalism Festival in Perugia, as part of its work to raise the voice of the poorest and most disenfranchised rural people. Panelists include an Indigenous leader, specialized journalists and international experts who will explore the complexities and obstacles faced by journalists when covering Indigenous Peoples’ issues and their link to environmental issues. There will be a Q&A.

The festival is Europe’s biggest annual media event, it brings together journalists, media professionals and experts from around the world to discuss key issues facing the media industry. The festival aims to promote and strengthen independent journalism and freedom of speech.

  • What: Making Reporting on Indigenous Peoples Issues Safe and Meaningful, organized by IFAD – UN Rome-based specialized agency and international financial institution
  • Who:
    • Margaret Tunda Lepore, Indigenous youth representative – Maasai peoples, Kenya
    • Margherita Loddoni, Indigenous Peoples and Tribal Issues Specialist, IFAD
    • María Mónica Monsalve S., Journalist, El País – America’s edition, leading on Indigenous reporting
    • María Paula Lizarazo, Environmental Journalist, El Espectador, Colombian newspaper & InfoAmazonia, Brazil
    • Anna Bressanin, Journalist - US Editor, BBC Reel
    • Susan Beccio, Senior Communication Officer, Global Outreach, IFAD
  • When: Saturday, 22 April 2023, 15:00-15:50 CET
  • Where: Sala Priori, Hotel Brufani, Perugia, Italy | Livestream

Media Alert No: IFAD/04/2023

IFAD is an international financial institution and a United Nations specialized agency. Based in Rome – the United Nations food and agriculture hub – IFAD invests in rural people, empowering them to reduce poverty, increase food security, improve nutrition and strengthen resilience. Since 1978, we have provided more than US$24 billion in grants and low-interest loans to fund projects in developing countries.  

A wide range of photographs of IFAD’s work in rural communities are available for download from its Image Bank. 

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