NEWS RELEASE                                               February 18, 2003

For immediate release

NEPA Officer Elected Chairman of Regional Environmental Group…

.Zadie Neufville Chairman of CERN

Public Education Officer at the National Environment and Planning Agency (NEPA) Zadie Neufville was recently elected Chairman of the Caribbean Environmental Reporters Network (CERN). CERN was started in Jamaica in 1989 by a group of journalists at a Panos Institute workshop at UWI, Mona.

CERN became a regional entity in 1993 and comprises a group of reporters who exchange news and provide information resources, training and reporting opportunities on environment and development related issues across the Caribbean. The Panos Institute is an independent non-profit media development and information agency with a worldwide network of offices.

In commenting on her election to the post of Chairman, Neufville said that, “I am very excited, but am clear that the opportunity is really one which will empower me to use my office as a platform to attract attention to some environment related issues across the region.” She alluded to the way in which small island states approached development and noted that there is an urgent need for greater debate, inclusion and participation from all areas of these societies.

CERN recently launched a five-minute radio news magazine programme called Island Beat aimed at promoting news of environmental activities across the region. Island Beat is aired in twenty Caribbean countries including Jamaica. The programme may be heard in Jamaica on Radio Mona FM 93, JIS Radio, Roots FM, RJR 94 FM, Power 106 FM, KLAS FM, Hot 102 FM and Roots FM.

"Island Beat is not the first attempt by CERN to form networks and increase knowledge levels of its members,” Ms Neufville said. In fact, she noted that Island Beat started in 1997 as a fifteen minute programme; however, due to funding problems the project had to be discontinued. In 1994 CERN also started Green Wire, a news service aimed at distributing environmental information to journalists across the region.