UNESCO is partnering with the Federation of African Journalists (FAJ) and the Media stakeholders across the continent, in hosting the African Media Stakeholders Virtual Conference to mark the International Day for Universal Access to Information (IDUAI), under the Theme Access to Information in Africa- Saving lives, Building Trust, Bringing Hope !  Date: Monday, September 28, 2020, from 08.30 West African time,11.30 East African Time and 10.30 South African and Central African Time Click to register here. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.  Panel 1: Access to Information and the COVID 19 Crisis in Africa: Information Stagnation, Policy Failure of Lack of Government Transparency. Have we been able to save lives, build trust and bring hope to the African Citizenry? Panel 2: Gender Dimension of Access to Information in Africa: What are the inequality gaps in access to information legislation in Africa and how does it affect Women? Panel 3: Challenges in Covering COVID 19: Advocating for Policy guarantees for access to information implementation in times of crisis. A Journalists Perspective. Interpretation will be available in French, English, Arabic and Amharic This African Media conference is a supported by UNESCO Addis Liaison Office to AU and UNECA, UNESCO Multidonor Fund on Freedom of Expression and the Safety of Journalists, The Federation of African Journalists  (FAJ) and the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ)

Every year 28 September is celebrated as the International Day for Universal Access to Information (IDUAI) after the 74th UN General Assembly proclaimed the day in October 2019 Recognizing the significance of access to information at a global level. IDUAI 2020 will focus on to the right to information in times of crisis and on the advantages of having constitutional, statutory and/or policy guarantees for public access to information to save lives, build trust and help the formulation of sustainable policies through and beyond the COVID-19 crisis. A national webinar is organized in connection to the day to discuss the importance of access to information in the COVID 19 crisis and beyond.  organizers: UNESCO Addis and Ethiopian National Media Support (ENMS) Partners: Ministry of Health, the Ethiopian Institution of the Ombudsman, Ethiopian Media Council, Ethiopian Broadcasting Authority, Ethiopian Public Health Institute. Hundreds of participants will attend the event by directly registering to the webinar. The event will also be live-streamed on official UNESCO social media pages and there will be an extensive media coverage of the event. Participation is on a first-come, first-served basis. Register now!

This debate is the first event in a series that will tackle key issues relating to tourism, heritage management and COVID-19. The debate will focus on new models of sustainable tourism development for strengthening heritage resiliency and managing the COVID-19 crisis.