The IPDC Bureau, consisting of 8 members of the Intergovernmental Council of IPDC assisted by UNESCO professionals, made this decision during the three-day meeting held at UNESCO Headquarters. From 24 to 26 February the Bureau examined 95 project proposals submitted by media organizations, journalists’ associations, community media organizations, media training institutions and university departments of journalism education from the developing countries.

The Bureau allocated $ 130,000 to resurrect the community media and to help build the capacities of the Haitian Journalists’ Association. Among the approved 19 regional and 65 national projects, 33 were from Africa. The supported projects fall into the three IPDC priorities: promoting freedom of expression, increasing media pluralism by fostering community media, and capacity building of journalists.

The Intergovernmental Council of IPDC, which consists of 39 UNESCO Member States, will meet later this month (24-26 March) to discuss the Director General’s report on Safety of Journalists and Impunity, and the ongoing application of Media Development Indicators endorsed by IPDC. The thematic debate, The Enabling Role of the State in Media Development, will be held within the framework of the meeting.

More detailed information on the amounts allocated to the IPDC projects can be found in the PDF file below.