GIVING NATURE A VOICE

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1 Graduate School of Media and Communications GIVING NATURE A VOICE

Message from the Dean Mother Africa is in crisis. Poachers have decimated its once-formidable herds of elephants, lions and rhinos. Rainforests are being burnt into charcoal.

One that s daring, uninterrupted and loud. Our mission supports this by giving a voice to the truly voiceless the world s largest population of mega-flora and fauna and the people living among them.

2 Message from the Dean Mother Africa is in crisis. Poachers have decimated its once-formidable herds of elephants, lions and rhinos. Rainforests are being burnt into charcoal. Coral reefs are blasted by dynamite fishing. The basic building block of civilization and a healthy world biodiversity is under existential threat. Nature needs a voice. One that s daring, uninterrupted and loud. Our mission supports this by giving a voice to the truly voiceless the world s largest population of mega-flora and fauna and the people living among them. The Aga Khan University Graduate School of Media and Communications Environmental Reporting Program has become the most impactful environmental program in East Africa. It reflects the new optimism of an emerging environmental consciousness and activism in Kenya and beyond. Working with media houses and independent filmmakers across the region, our distinguished global faculty of correspondents, editors and filmmakers train them to research and produce compelling in-depth reports on Africa s most urgent environmental crises at the highest international standards, on a par with the best of BBC or CNN. These are stories of immense human drama set amid profound climate and environmental change. Giving Nature a Voice has created a syndicated series of 26 documentaries watched by millions of viewers weekly via prime time broadcasts on NTV, East Africa s largest television network. The goal: to teach East Africa s youngest generations to value and protect their most valuable inheritance and the stunning beauty of our common African home. The impact of the documentaries cannot be overstated. Our films have influenced local and national policy. A film on Lake Tanganyika led to the passing of legislation in Burundi s parliament. Other films have received awards and recognition locally and internationally. We aim to develop a five-year program that will continue to produce life-changing environmental documentaries. Discussions have begun with broadcasters to take our message Africa-wide. The documentaries will soon be broadcast in the UK and on Yanga, a SKY channel aimed at the African diaspora. All this has been made possible by the generous support of the Beaty family in Vancouver, Canada Ross, Trisha and Carolynn of the Sitka Foundation. Join us in helping East Africa, and the world, to better understand the critical environmental issues facing us, before it s too late. Michael Meyer Founding Dean The Aga Khan University Graduate School of Media and Communications Here in East Africa, as elsewhere, environmental reporting is generally sporadic and superficial, devoid of nuance and scientific context. Even the better-resourced media groups rarely feature environmental reporting that is illuminating, intelligent and impactful. Giving Nature a Voice, a program brought to East Africa by the Graduate School of Media and Communications at The Aga Khan University in Nairobi, Kenya, seeks to give a voice to East Africa s threatened biosphere. The project explores a wide range of topics, from deforestation to the threats faced by Mother Africa s greatest lakes Victoria, Turkana, Naivasha and Tanganyika; from the cattle wars that pit pastoralists against each other and against wildlife to the struggle by fishermen eking out a living when aquatic resources collapse from overfishing and habitat destruction. 2 3

Ziwa Victoria Lake Victoria is Africa s largest lake, but an ecological disaster threatens the lake s

The lake has seen some of the largest losses of biodiversity ever recorded.

The film documents Lake Victoria s environmental crisis.

world, despite the fact that Naivasha city has grown to a million people and hosts one of the main export

Although the lake is under severe pressure, a Kenyan-born raptor scientist, Dr.

Kuki s Crusade Water to Dust Cattle grazing and fishing have been the main sources of livelihood for the

Water to Dust explores the threat faced by Africa s largest desert lake, Turkana, resulting from the

In 2016, Kenya organized the largest ivory burn in history, in an attempt to stop the poaching of elephants.

3 Ziwa Victoria Lake Victoria is Africa s largest lake, but an ecological disaster threatens the lake s future and the 35 million people who depend on its bounty. The lake has seen some of the largest losses of biodiversity ever recorded. Three hundred native fish species have been wiped out. The film documents Lake Victoria s environmental crisis. Resilience: Eagles of Naivasha Lake Naivasha has the largest population of African fish eagles in the world, despite the fact that Naivasha city has grown to a million people and hosts one of the main export earners of Kenya the horticultural industry. Although the lake is under severe pressure, a Kenyan-born raptor scientist, Dr. Munir Virani, tries to explain why the eagles are doing so well and how to save their precious home. Kuki s Crusade Water to Dust Cattle grazing and fishing have been the main sources of livelihood for the pastoral tribes in the Turkana region. This is now under threat due to spreading deserts and climate change. Water to Dust explores the threat faced by Africa s largest desert lake, Turkana, resulting from the damming of its principal water source, the Omo River in Ethiopia. In 2016, Kenya organized the largest ivory burn in history, in an attempt to stop the poaching of elephants. For Kuki Gallmann, the famed international author and activist from the Laikipia Nature Conservancy, Africa s elephant slaughter is personal. Some of the ivory she and her rangers have seized were part of the funeral pyres in Nairobi National Park. The film documents Kuki s efforts, before she was ambushed and shot, to stop the cattle invasion on her conservancy as well as her attempts to foster peace through her annual Highland Games. 4 5

End of the River This four-part film produced by one of Kenya s most famous TV investigative

Pokot and Turkana warriors competing for diminished grasslands.

Flipflops, plastic bottles and nets clutter the white sand beaches off Kenya s Coast in Mombasa,

4 End of the River This four-part film produced by one of Kenya s most famous TV investigative reporters, John- Allan Namu, focuses on the cattle wars in northern Kenya between Samburu, Borana, Pokot and Turkana warriors competing for diminished grasslands. The film documents how climate change has fueled the violence and led to the destruction of conservancies and ranches in Laikipia. Plastics are Forever Kenya s marine life chokes on plastic debris dumped on the ocean s shores. Flipflops, plastic bottles and nets clutter the white sand beaches off Kenya s Coast in Mombasa, Lamu and Malindi some of the world s most famous resorts. This film documents the efforts of local communities to clean up beaches and recycle plastic waste, while stopping the slaughter of marine animals, birds and fish. 6 7

Saving Mountain Gorillas Imagine treating a 200-pound gorilla that s broken her leg falling

Gaspard and Gorilla Doctors working in Volcanoes National Park.

The film highlights patrols by park rangers responsible for keeping this highly endangered

Do Rhinos Have a Future In 1970, Kenya had a population of 20,000 black rhinos.

They were killed for their horn, prized in Asia for folk medicine, where a kilo fetches

5 Saving Mountain Gorillas Imagine treating a 200-pound gorilla that s broken her leg falling out of a tree. That s a routine call for Rwanda s Dr. Gaspard and Gorilla Doctors working in Volcanoes National Park. On other days he treats gorillas hurt by poachers snares or in fights between rival groups. The film highlights patrols by park rangers responsible for keeping this highly endangered species from disappearing forever. Do Rhinos Have a Future In 1970, Kenya had a population of 20,000 black rhinos. By 1989, only 400 rhinos were left. They were killed for their horn, prized in Asia for folk medicine, where a kilo fetches $60,000 on the black market. The only way to save rhinos from extinction is to create a secure habitat where the can live and breed. The film highlights efforts by Ol Pejeta Conservancy to save the rhinos Kenya had a population of 20,000 black rhinos 1989 Only 400 rhinos were left 8 9

Other Films Our Benefactors Living on the Edge of Nature Youth Safaris The Last Forest Sandstorms Climate s Children The Price of Power Zanzibar Saves Its Sea Max the Chimp Amputee

Elephant Awards and Festivals Ross Beaty Executive Chairman at Alterra Power and Founder, Sitka Foundation Trisha Beaty Director, Sitka Foundation Carolynn Beaty Director of Granting, Sitka

He came to Nairobi from the United Nations, where he served for five years as the communications director and chief speechwriter for Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.

Wall, an eye-witness account of the revolutions of 1989, published in eleven languages and rated one of the ten best books of 2009 by the Washington Post.

Water to Dust was selected as the best documentary at the 20

17 Mashariki Film Festival in Rwanda. 2.

6 Other Films Our Benefactors Living on the Edge of Nature Youth Safaris The Last Forest Sandstorms Climate s Children The Price of Power Zanzibar Saves Its Sea Max the Chimp Amputee Vanishing Vultures Salt Water Survivors Greening Bare Ground Man vs. Elephant Awards and Festivals Ross Beaty Executive Chairman at Alterra Power and Founder, Sitka Foundation Trisha Beaty Director, Sitka Foundation Carolynn Beaty Director of Granting, Sitka Foundation The Team Michael Meyer Founding Dean Michael Meyer is an award-winning editor and correspondent for Newsweek. He came to Nairobi from the United Nations, where he served for five years as the communications director and chief speechwriter for Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. He is the author of the Alexander Complex, an examination of the psychology of American empire builders, and the Year that Changed the World: the Untold Story of the Fall of the Berlin Wall, an eye-witness account of the revolutions of 1989, published in eleven languages and rated one of the ten best books of 2009 by the Washington Post. He is a member of the New York Council on Foreign Relations. Andrew Tkach Director - Environmental Reporting Program A photo of a herder from the film Water to Dust 1. Water to Dust was selected as the best documentary at the 2017 Slum Film Festival and the best East African documentary at the 2017 Mashariki Film Festival in Rwanda. 2. Ziwa Victoria film is an official selection at the Environmental Film Festival in Melbourne Australia, Kuala Lumpur s Eco Film Festival and the Matsulu Nature Film Festival in Estonia. 3. Resilience: Eagles of Naivasha won second prize at the Kirloskar Vasundhara International Film Festival in India. Andrew Tkach, an eight-time Emmy winner for his documentary films, has spent more than 25 years producing TV documentaries and news reports from some of the world s most remote places. He has been a lead producer at CNN, NBC and CBS, where he was the principal long-form producer for Christiane Amanpour on 60 Minutes. Andrew is the creator and executive producer of Giving Nature a Voice. Marietta Musyoka Project Officer Marietta has over 8 years experience in project management, executive support and finance. She assists in managing Giving Nature a Voice projects

7 Testimonials I would like to thank the GSMC team for the amazing programs that we have been privileged to have on our screen. The scripting, camerawork, narration and production have been a delight to watch and listen to. The quality is world-class and has inspired some of our journalists to produce such good work. Jamila Mohamed, Chief Editor, NTV Kenya Giving Nature a Voice puts students into a like-minded community, funds them in the field, trains them to couple their passion for nature with accurate storytelling, filming, editing, and producing, and then shares their documentaries with television and online networks that have a huge reach at a local and increasingly international scale. The team are not only creating award-winning films that are chronicling beautiful, tragic, and hopeful environmental stories, but they re also trying to influence policy makers and leaders who can create long term change. We see this multi-faceted approach to environmental conservation highly effective. Carolynn Beaty Director of Granting, Sitka Foundation Contacts Graduate School of Media and Communications 9 West Building, 7th Floor Mkungu Close, off Parklands Road P.O. Box Nairobi, Kenya Phone: , info.gsmc@aku.edu Aga Khan University Graduate School of Media and Communications 12

THE DEPUTY SECRETARY-GENERAL REMARKS AT GENERAL ASSEMBLY EVENT ON WORLD WILDLIFE DAY AS DELIVERED. New York, 3 March 2017

THE DEPUTY SECRETARY-GENERAL REMARKS AT GENERAL ASSEMBLY EVENT ON WORLD WILDLIFE DAY AS DELIVERED. New York, 3 March 2017 U N I T E D N A T I O N S N A T I O N S U N I E S THE DEPUTY SECRETARY-GENERAL -- REMARKS AT GENERAL ASSEMBLY EVENT ON WORLD WILDLIFE DAY AS DELIVERED New York, 3 March 2017 Mr. President of the General