02-04-2008 (Paris) Member States elect Karol Jakubowicz as new Chairman of IFAP Council
The Intergovernmental Council for the Information for All Programme (IFAP) elected new Bureau members today at its 5th session at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris. The twenty-six members of the Council nominated Mr Karol Jakubowicz (Poland) as the Chairman of the Bureau.
02-04-2008 (Grahamstown) Consultation meeting promises to strengthen institutional excellence in journalism training in Africa
A wide consultation to discuss how potential hubs of excellence in journalism training in Africa might be strengthened was convened by UNESCO from 17 to 18 March in Grahamstown, South Africa, bringing together some eighty participants from development agencies, NGOs, professional organizations and universities from around the world.
01-04-2008 (Paris) Anti-Islamic video: Statement of the Director-General of UNESCO
“I fully endorse the strong condemnation made by the UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon, of the Internet broadcast of an offensively anti-Islamic video made by the Dutch parliamentarian Geert Wilders. There is no justification for such an expression of hate or incitation to violence,” stated on Monday 31 March, Koïchiro Matsuura, Director-General of UNESCO.
31-03-2008 (Monrovia) Liberia Media Center releases Review of Media Coverage of the Truth and Reconciliation Process in Liberia
The Liberia Media Center (LMC) has just released a report with preliminary findings on the media coverage of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) public hearings in Liberia.
31-03-2008 (Paris) IPDC Council calls on governments to curb impunity on crimes against media professionals
The Intergovernmental Council of the International Programme for the Development of Communication (IPDC) adopted a decision calling on governments to report on their investigations into the assassination of journalists and other intentional crimes against media personnel.
28-03-2008 (Paris) Director-General condemns murder of two Russian journalists: Ilyas Shurpayev and Gadzhi Abashilov
The Director-General of UNESCO, Koïchiro Matsuura, today condemned two separate murders of journalists in Russia: the killing of Ilyas Shurpayev who was found dead in his Moscow apartment on 21 March and Gadzhi Abashilov who was shot, on the same day, in Makhachkala, capital of Dagestan, a Republic of the Russian Federation, situated in the North Caucasus.
28-03-2008 (Paris) 'Right to information is fundamental for development', experts say
Right to access information held by public bodies and its contribution to transparency, media pluralism, good governance, empowerment and poverty eradication were the focus of debates during the international experts meeting on "Freedom of Information and Sustainable Development, Sealing the Link" held last week at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris.
28-03-2008 (Paris) IFAP Council to discuss future orientations
The Intergovernmental Council for the Information for All Programme (IFAP) will meet for its 5th Session from 2 to 4 April 2008 at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris, France. The Council will discuss new strategic orientations of the Programme for the period 2008-2013 and host a thematic debate on “IFAP's Role in the Global Information Space”, on 3 April.
27-03-2008 (New Delhi) Asian film festival celebrates women's vision of the world
The International Association of Women in Radio and Television (IAWRT) - India Chapter and the India International Centre (IIC) - Asia Project organized, in collaboration with UNESCO, an Asian Women’s Film Festival from 7 to 8 March 2008 in New Delhi, India.
27-03-2008 (Paris) IPDC Council unanimously endorses new set of media development indicators
The Intergovernmental Council of the International Programme for the Development of Communication (IPDC) yesterday unanimously endorsed the new set of media development indicators proposed by the international expert group.
26-03-2008 (Paris) Member States elect Walter Fust as new Chairman of the IPDC Council
The Intergovernmental Council of the International Programme for the Development of Communication (IPDC) elected new bureau members today at its 26th session at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris. The thirty-nine members of the Council nominated Mr Walter Fust (Switzerland) as the Chairman of the Bureau, and Afghanistan, Tunisia and Venezuela as Vice-Chairs.
26-03-2008 (Paris) Freedom of expression goes to school
A major step in the development of a Freedom of Expression Toolkit was taken at UNESCO Headquarters in March. Twenty experts from around the world came together to discuss the development of this course of study, aimed at high school and undergraduate level students, for two days on 19-20 March.
26-03-2008 (Paris) IPDC Council meeting begins today
The Intergovernmental Council of the International Programme for the Development of Communication (IPDC) will meet today to examine a new report, Media Development Indicators: A Framework for Assessing Media Development, during its 26th session at UNESCO Headquarters from 26 to 28 March.
25-03-2008 (Paris) UNESCO to host International Conference and Exhibition on Knowledge Parks in Doha
Using information and communication technology to foster entrepreneurship, improve education and empower individuals in developing countries will be the subject of the International Conference and Exhibition on Knowledge Parks, that UNESCO will be hosting in Doha, Qatar, from 29 to 31 March.
25-03-2008 (Kingston) UNESCO supports annual Caribbean Media and Communication Conference
UNESCO, in cooperation with regional media organisations, is organising the tenth annual Caribbean Media and Communication Conference (CMCC), from 1 to 3 May 2008 in Georgetown, Guyana. The three-day conference will coincide with World Press Freedom Day (WPFD) on 3 May.
21-03-2008 (Paris) UNESCO Open Training Platform turns one year old with 2000 resources and 60 000 visits
The “Guide to Mobilising and Strengthening Community-Led Care for Orphans and Vulnerable Children” produced by World Vision International is the 2000th resource shared on the UNESCO Open Training Platform (OTP).
20-03-2008 (Beijing) UNESCO saves rare archives in Mongolia
UNESCO is helping the main Mongolian holders of national documentary heritage, the Gandan Tegchenling Monastery and the National Archives, to preserve their unique collections. Several thousands of pages of endangered texts will be saved in digital form and be eventually open to a wider audience.
19-03-2008 (Manila) Philippine National Committee for IFAP sponsors forum on writ of habeas data
Filipinos can now cite a new legal tool to protect their right to informational privacy with the recent promulgation of the writ of habeas data by the Philippine Supreme Court. The writ took effect on 2 February 2008.
19-03-2008 (Paris) Pioneering Initiative on Media Development Indicators to be presented at 26th session of IPDC Council
The thirty-nine members of the Intergovernmental Council of the International Programme for the Development of Communication (IPDC) will meet for its 26th session at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris from 26 to 28 March 2008. The delegates will be accompanied by experts and observers from intergovernmental organizations, UN agencies and professional organizations.
18-03-2008 (Paris) UNESCO launches second edition of legal survey on freedom of information
A second edition, entirely revised and updated, of Freedom of Information: A Comparative Legal Survey by Toby Mendel was launched yesterday during a two-day experts group meeting on Freedom of Information and Sustainable Development held at UNESCO Headquarters on 17-18 March 2008.
18-03-2008 (Paris) UNESCO committed to enhance journalism training in Africa
Opening the Meeting on Journalism Training in Africa presently taking place in Grahamstown, South Africa, UNESCO's Assistant Director-General for Communication and Information, Abdul Waheed Khan, stressed UNESCO's commitment to build professional capacity of African journalists.
18-03-2008 (Paris) Training-the-Trainers in Information Literacy: UNESCO calls for applications
UNESCO’s Information for All Programme (IFAP) invites all practicing information professionals and teachers to apply for the workshops on information literacy organized by 11 teaching institutions around the world.
17-03-2008 (Paris) Consultation meeting on Capacity Building for Potential Centres of Excellence in Journalism Training in Africa starts today
UNESCO is holding a consultation meeting on Capacity Building for Potential Centres of Excellence in Journalism Training in Africa at Rhodes University in Grahamstown, South Africa, on 17-18 March 2008.
17-03-2008 (Paris) Experts meeting at UNESCO to examine the link between freedom of information and sustainable development
Policy makers and representatives of inter- and non- governmental organizations will examine the relationship between the right to information and development at an international experts meeting on "Freedom of Information and Sustainable Development, Sealing the Link" at UNESCO Headquarters on 17 and 18 March.
14-03-2008 (Kuala Lumpur) UNESCO conference to host GKP forum on entrepreneurship and social innovation
In the framework of UNESCO's International Conference and Exhibition on Knowledge Parks in Doha, Qatar, on 29-31 March 2008, Global Knowledge Partnership (GKP) is organizing a forum on Entrepreneurship: Transforming the World through Entrepreneurs. Held on 29 March, the GKP Forum will highlight entrepreneurship and social innovation as powerful means of achieving equitable and sustainable socio-economic development.
13-03-2008 (Paris) UNESCO forges capacity building of knowledge professionals in newly emerging ICT technologies
Within the framework of UNESCO’s activities in capacity building of knowledge professionals, a UNESCO-Korea Polytechnic University (KPU) Forum on International Cooperation for Capacity Building in New Digital Technologies took place on 25 and 27 February 2008 in Kiev National Taras Shevchenko University, Ukraine, and Gomel State Technical University, Belarus.
12-03-2008 (Paris) UNESCO Statement on the withdrawal of patronage of the International day for freedom of expression on the internet, organized by Reporters Without Borders
UNESCO has withdrawn its patronage of the Online Free Expression Day, organized by the non-governmental organization, Reporters Without Borders.
12-03-2008 (Kingston) UNESCO supports conference on national community multimedia centres in Jamaica
A conference under the theme 'Igniting and Sustaining Community Development in the 21st Century' is being held from 12 to 14 March 2008 at the Jamaica Conference Centre in Kingston.
11-03-2008 (San Salvador) Latin American and Caribbean ministers approved new plan of action for the information society
The Second Ministerial Conference on the Information Society in Latin America and the Caribbean was held from 6 to 8 February 2008 in San Salvador, El Salvador. More than 80 specific goals to promote information and communication technologies (ICT) within national and regional development strategies were approved.
10-03-2008 (Paris) Ethical dimensions of the information society: Asia-Pacific Conference opens this week in Hanoi
The Vietnam National Commission for UNESCO, in cooperation with UNESCO and other partners, is organizing the first Regional Conference for Asia and the Pacific on the Ethical Dimensions of the Information Society, from 12 to 14 March 2008 in Hanoi, Vietnam.
