Session participants discussed the development of a media diplomacy space and the exchange of experience among Global South countries

During the 17th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP17) to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) in Mongolia, a session entitled “International Media Cooperation as a Driver for Advancing the Sustainable Development Agenda. The TV BRICS Media Diplomacy Space” was held. Participants discussed the role of international media in promoting the Sustainable Development Goals, raising public awareness of land degradation issues and disseminating information about practices for addressing them.

The session was moderated by Natalia Dorpeko, Executive Director of the UN Global Compact Network Russia. She stressed that the implementation of environmental conventions largely depends on public awareness and that the mass media play a major role in this.

“The implementation of the Sustainable Development Agenda and, in particular, the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification and other UN environmental conventions at national and international levels is based on our shared responsibility, awareness and understanding. And the mass media play a huge role in this. At the same time, the mass media must recognise their key responsibility for the content they disseminate; information must be accurate and fair. […] It is important to develop international communications and media partnerships to cover the Agenda in different countries,” she noted.

TV BRICS Lead International Projects Manager Ulyana Bezhenar noted that the media are becoming a link between those who develop solutions and those who put them into practice. According to her, the work of the media is not a supporting tool but one of the conditions for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. She stressed the importance of horizontal exchanges of experience among Global South countries and added that international cooperation creates a space for media diplomacy.

“Today, TV BRICS represents the latest system of multilateral information exchange among the countries of the BRICS+ and Global South space. The partner network brings together more than 300 organisations from 35 countries. […] Significant attention is paid to the environmental agenda. Issues including biodiversity conservation, the development of green energy, food security, sustainable development and combating desertification are covered systematically – both in the context of the national experience of BRICS+ countries and in the context of international cooperation. […] TV BRICS is also a member of the SDG Media Compact – a UN initiative aimed at bringing together the media community in support of the Sustainable Development Goals. The main objective of all this work is to take the SDGs out of the realm of an abstract concept and make them part of everyday life,” Bezhenar said.

In 2026, TV BRICS served as an international media partner of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification’s “Silk Road Caravan” initiative. The result of the large-scale media campaign was the creation of the documentary film “Earth. Lifelines”, which premiered immediately after the session.

The film focuses on the Russian section of the “Silk Road Caravan” initiative – the territories of the Republic of Dagestan, the Republic of Kalmykia and the Astrakhan Region. The project showcases successful practices in pasture management, biodiversity conservation and sustainable water use, as well as examples of cooperation among the state, the scientific community and local communities.

After the screening, participants shared their impressions. Vyacheslav Leonov, Director of the Department of Land Policy, drew attention to the problem of disinformation, stressing the importance of the media’s work, and highly praised the professionalism of the TV BRICS team.

German Kust, Chair of the Bureau of the UNCCD Central Asia–Russia Interregional Group, described the media, including TV BRICS, as modern interpreters translating the complex language of the SDGs and the climate agenda into language accessible to a wider audience and suggested showing the film to schoolchildren and university students. Irina Bakhtina, Director General of the Volnoe Delo Foundation, noted that despite the complexity of the subject, the film is easy to watch and inspires hope that the problems can be addressed through modern practices and solutions.

In an exclusive comment to TV BRICS, Asmaa Niang, an Olympic judoka and Ambassador of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification, who took part in the film, shared her views on the project.

“The ‘Silk Road Caravan’ project is important because it brings peoples together. Personally, during my participation in the project, I discovered several ways of treating and restoring land and combating desertification. […] The role of the media is incredibly important, especially when it comes to engaged and committed media outlets that help show the truth about what is happening. […] And within the ‘Silk Road Caravan’ project, their presence was very valuable because it gave the project greater visibility, allowing everyone to understand what challenges we face and what the fight against desertification entails,” she said.

The TV BRICS documentary “Earth. Lifelines” will subsequently be adapted into the main languages of the BRICS countries and provided to the media network’s partners for international distribution.

African Times published this article in partnership with International Media Network TV BRICS