Communication and Information programme of the UNESCO Office in Tashkent is aligned to the global mandate which is to promote the “free flow of ideas by word and image.”

In Uzbekistan, UNESCO works towards several principal strategic objectives:

• free flow of ideas and universal access to information;
  
  
• freedom of expression, pluralism and cultural diversity in the media and world information networks;
  
  
• media and information literacy in the mass media and educational institutions;
  
  
• journalists’ safety and professional journalistic standards and Code of Ethics;
  
  
• linguistic diversity and tolerance in the Internet;
  
  
• open educational resources;
  
  
• improvement of work of libraries and archives.

The contribution of the media to the development of a democratic and sustainable society is essential, since they have the opportunity to initiate and maintain a dialogue between people and government authorities to urge the latter to ensure transparency of political decisions and pluralism of opinions.

The media has an influence on ordinary people’s life, on their decision making and, thus, well-being. Nowadays we live in the mediated culture, where media reflects and creates the culture. Communities and individuals are bombarded constantly with messages from a multitude of sources including TV, billboards, magazines, social media, etc. The information flows, which we experience today, are overwhelming and sometimes it is difficult to identify bad/ good and true/ false information.

The media faces a number of challenges – ethical issues and legal literacy are to name a few. The necessity to be fast and report first frequently sacrifice the quality and reliability.

 The media should always remember about ethics and compliance with laws, especially laws regarding data protection and gain citizens’ confidence and trust in the information they produce and provide.

UNESCO Office in Tashkent works to address all the issues and challenges through regular programs and extra-budgetary projects in cooperation with its key national partners: National TV and Radio Company, National Association of Electronic Mass Media, In-service Training Center for Journalists, Modern Journalism Development Center and universities preparing future journalists.