Youth and the Internet: Fighting Radicalization and Extremism

Albana Shala is since 2014 the Chair of UNESCO’s International Programme for Development of Communication (IPDC) Council. She is an expert with more than 15 years of experience in the independent media development field and is currently Programme Coordinator at Free Press Unlimited, a Dutch organisation supporting independent media in more than 40 countries. In that capacity she has organised and participated in a wide range of international multi-stakeholder conferences on media and internet freedom in the Netherlands, Eastern Europe, the Caucasus and Central America. The ethical use of Internet, safety of journalists and media partners, and privacy issues are among the fundamental challenges of Ms.Shala’s work in conflict and crisis regions. Ms. Shala is interested in linking media development with research and promoting UNESCO’s knowledge driven media development. She holds a Master degree in Development Studies from the Institute of Social Studies in The Hague, The Netherlands.