"Since August 2021, almost 50% of media outlets have ceased their operations in Afghanistan. An estimated 90% of women journalists have lost their jobs, with many more media workers having fled the country or been forced into hiding. Replying to a call from over hundred anonymous journalists for con
...
tinued assistance inside the country, UNESCO’s response focused on the provision of lifeline resources to support the Afghan media sectors while restoring longer term media viability. It is in this context that the EU-funded project “Support to Afghan Media Resilience to Foster Peace and Security”, implemented from November 2022 to April 2024, has played a key role in addressing and mitigating Afghan media challenges, while fostering continued access to information of the Afghan population, especially conflict sensitive reporting, humanitarian information and educational broadcasting, with a specific focus on women journalists, youth and minority groups." (Back cover)
more
"The IPDC Bureau at its 64th meeting (June 2020) requested the Secretariat to develop a targeted fundraising strategy in accordance with UNESCO’s overall fundraising strategy. It was first presented to the 32nd session of the Intergovernmental Council of the IPDC in November 2020. The Council then
...
instructed the Secretariat to implement resource mobilization aimed at the private sector and civil society. The Secretariat presented a revised fundraising strategy, which also included elements on visibility to the 65th Bureau meeting in June 2021, and reported on its implementation at the 66th Bureau meeting in June 2022 and at the 33rd Council session of the Intergovernmental Council of the IPDC in November 2022. This document reports to the Bureau on the implementation actions thus far and includes a draft decision by the Bureau." (Page 1)
more
"Since its founding in 1980, the IPDC has worked to foster and secure a healthy environment for free, pluralistic, and independent media in developing countries, countries in transition, and countries in conflict and post-conflict situations. Through this mandate, the Programme has since dedicated o
...
ver $115 million to media development through more than 2,200 projects, carried out in at least 140 countries. In 2021, the IPDC Bureau approved a total of 86 project proposals and 9 Special Allocation initiatives. Nine of those projects, approved through the Rapid Response mechanism, reported to the Bureau in 2022. This report therefore covers 77 projects and the 9 Special Allocation initiatives approved in 2021, implemented in at least 90 countries over the course of 2021 and 2022." (Executive summary)
more
"During the reporting period 2018-2021, UNESCO has worked closely with Kenyan youth leaders, media professionals, parliamentarians and religious leaders to encourage the government to adopt a Draft National Media and Information Literacy Strategy. The first outcome realized during this period was th
...
e drafting of the Media and Information Literacy Curriculum for Teachers in Kenya. It was prepared through a consultative process – led by the Centre for MIL in Kenya. It was an adaptation of UNESCO’s Model Media and Information Literacy Curriculum for Teachers, while ensuring that the developed curriculum conforms to Kenya’s national curriculum policy, competency-based education and training policy framework, and East Africa e-learning strategy. The second outcome was the drafting of the first Media and Information Literacy Policy and Strategy document, which was developed through multi-stakeholder consultative process led by the Media Council of Kenya through application of the UNESCO MIL Policy and Strategy Guidelines and Kenya’s national development aspirations, guidelines and policies." (Page 2)
more
"Namibia was thus added as a beneficiary country under the MDP in the second quarter of 2021, with the aim of reviewing the current draft bill and of increasing awareness on the right to access information by mobilizing government, civil society, and the Namibian public to take ownership and contrib
...
ute to the achievement of SDG target 16.10. Actions deployed for this purpose were aligned with the global theme of World Press Freedom Day (WPFD) 2021, “Information as a Public Good” and with the Windhoek+30 Declaration." (Page 2)
more
"Iraq was added as a target country under the MDP in 2020, building on the first phase of the “Breaking the Silence: Enhancing Public Accountability on Freedom of Expression and the Safety of Journalists in Iraq” project, which was implemented by UNESCO between 2019 and 2021 with funding from th
...
e Netherlands. The Breaking the Silence project notably enabled the development of resources for coordination and improvement of the relationship between media workers and security forces. It also allowed for the strengthening of the National Committee on Safety of Journalists and of a Special Investigative Unit to shift from an information-sharing mechanism to a more comprehensive mechanism for the safety of journalists. Drawing on these achievements, the MDP initiated in 2020 the creation of a reporting mechanism for threats and violence against women journalists in the form of a hotline, operated by women police officers, and with a focus on digital threats and cyber-blackmail. This mechanism builds on a safety hotline established in 2019 and responds to the particular risks faced by women media workers: already harassed for their work as journalists, they are also targeted because of their gender, and because they dare to defy societal expectations regarding women’s roles. The harassment they face is considerably more virulent and malicious than their male colleagues, and many do not dare file complaints with the police or seek legal support." (Page 2)
more
"Overall, Pakistan experienced a shrinking of its space for free expression over the past four years, with censorship and restrictions increasing over time in the form of new stringent rules and regulations, along with intensifying threats and various types of attacks on journalists. Pakistan, who w
...
as chosen as a pilot country for the implementation of the UN Plan of Action on the Safety of Journalists and the Issue of Impunity, continues to present a challenging environment for the free exercise of journalism. A total of 58 killings of journalists were recorded in the country by UNESCO’s Observatory between 2011 and 2021. Some positive developments nevertheless took place, mainly in the form of a new law for the protection of journalists adopted in 2021. Still, the situation of women journalists is of particular concern, as many of them decry a lack of concrete measures to ensure their safety and a seemingly ineffective response by the federal investigation agency that deals with cybercrimes." (Page 1)
more
"Jordan was included as a beneficiary country under the MDP in 2021, responding to a request by the country’s Judicial Training Institute to strengthen the capacities of judicial operators on international standards and issues related to freedom of expression and access to information. This collab
...
oration was kicked off on the occasion of the International Day for Universal Access to Information (IDUAI), during which the UNESCO Amman Office and the Institute organized a roundtable of experts to highlight the role of judicial actors in ensuring a safe environment for journalists, good governance, and transparency through access to information. Following the event, the MDP also organized a 4-day training workshop for 17 judges on international standards and regional legal frameworks underpinning these principles." (Page 2)
more
"[...] in 2019, UNESCO’s Addis Ababa Liaison Office engaged the African Union, the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR) and a wide range of partners to ensure adequate responses to the protection of journalists and the fight against impunity in Africa. These consultative meeti
...
ngs led to the submission of a request for the establishment of a ACHPR Working Group on the Promotion and Protection of Journalism and the Safety of Journalists in Africa. The same year, UNESCO also contributed to the ACHPR’s revision of the Declaration of Principles on Freedom of Expression in Africa. Based on these calls and numerous consultations, UNESCO gave in 2020 the impetus for the creation of a continental safety mechanisms involving 54 African Union Member States, inspired by the Council of Europe’s Platform to promote the protection of journalism and safety of journalists. The creation of this platform involved four African Union bodies, as well as the African Editors Forum (TAEF), the Federation of African Journalists (FAJ), the Africa Peer Review Mechanism (APRM), the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and ARTICLE 19. This online coordination platform allows for real time monitoring, reporting and follow-up actions by both duty-bearers and right-holders. It represents remarkable progress in the fight against impunity for violence against journalists, while also creating long-lasting synergies among African media stakeholders." (Pages 1-2)
more