Today is the World Radio Day 2025. Proclaimed in 2011 by UNESCO Member States and adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in 2012 as International Day of the United Nations, February 13 became World Radio Day (WRD). Radio contributes to the achievement of its international objectives by supporting populations through climate disasters such as tropical storms and floods. It helps with the dissemination of fact-based information, listeners’ voices, and dedicated radio shows.
In Uganda, whereas a lot of planning has been done to counter climate change adaptation, adaptation effort still faces several challenges related to implementation. For example, the absence of linkage between climate change adaption and the development agendas is one major constraint. Furthermore, the differentiated impacts of climate change and differentiated access to production resources and inputs by men and women, including extension, information, and climate finance, results in gender-related productivity gaps in agriculture and other sectors.
In 2023, the Pan Africa Climate Justice Alliance (PACJA-Uganda) commissioned a study with case studies in Kikandwa and Kyesiiga sub counties in Mityana and Masaka districts respectively. The Study aimed to document and amplify Ugandan voices in national, regional and international climate change and environmental dialogues and processes, and also to ensure that the resultant frameworks agreed upon at national level are equitable, evidence-based and responds to the realities of vulnerable communities.
In 2012, the Uganda Climate Change Vulnerability Assessment Report (2012) recommended that national programs aimed at improving the country’s adaptation to climate change should be complemented by locally relevant strategies, including building the institutional capacity of key government ministries to improve the production, distribution and use of climate information.
As one of the findings, the PACJA Uganda study found that there is a need for more weather information champions across geographical regions to ensure that communities can access and utilize timely and accurate weather information, an issue which was also highlighted as one of the recommendations in Uganda’s third National Communications to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).
Noting that the climate information gap affects adaptation capacity amongst communities, respondents in the PACJA Uganda study proposed a need for improved packaging (translate, simplify information to make it understandable; public sensitization on importance of climate information and how it is generated; provision of more accurate, reliable, targeted climate information and data.
In Uganda, whereas a lot of planning has been done to counter climate change adaptation, adaptation effort still faces several challenges related to implementation. For example, the absence of linkage between climate change adaption and the development agendas is one major constraint. Furthermore, the differentiated impacts of climate change and differentiated access to production resources and inputs by men and women, including extension, information, and climate finance, results in gender-related productivity gaps in agriculture and other sectors.
In 2023, the Pan Africa Climate Justice Alliance (PACJA-Uganda) commissioned a study with case studies in Kikandwa and Kyesiiga sub counties in Mityana and Masaka districts respectively. The Study aimed to document and amplify Ugandan voices in national, regional and international climate change and environmental dialogues and processes, and also to ensure that the resultant frameworks agreed upon at national level are equitable, evidence-based and responds to the realities of vulnerable communities.
In 2012, the Uganda Climate Change Vulnerability Assessment Report (2012) recommended that national programs aimed at improving the country’s adaptation to climate change should be complemented by locally relevant strategies, including building the institutional capacity of key government ministries to improve the production, distribution and use of climate information.
As one of the findings, the PACJA Uganda study found that there is a need for more weather information champions across geographical regions to ensure that communities can access and utilize timely and accurate weather information, an issue which was also highlighted as one of the recommendations in Uganda’s third National Communications to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).
Noting that the climate information gap affects adaptation capacity amongst communities, respondents in the PACJA Uganda study proposed a need for improved packaging (translate, simplify information to make it understandable; public sensitization on importance of climate information and how it is generated; provision of more accurate, reliable, targeted climate information and data.
The use of radio comes in handy to implement these solutions, as it is widely used across the country, it is a cheap option compared to other possibilities like face-to-face meetings, and reaches out to all age groups.
In fact, the latest Uganda National Population and Housing Census (2024) shows that 41 percent of Uganda’s households owned a radio compared to 23.1 percent who own a television. This means that radio remains a cost effective and popular medium in the fight against climate change.
In fact, the latest Uganda National Population and Housing Census (2024) shows that 41 percent of Uganda’s households owned a radio compared to 23.1 percent who own a television. This means that radio remains a cost effective and popular medium in the fight against climate change.
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