Building democracy, fostering peace

At each of the key moments that have marked contemporary history, UNESCO has supported the peaceful development of societies by contributing to the construction and consolidation of democracy, and the development of democratic institutions, especially in times of transition.

International Day of Democracy

Building democracies through education

Global citizenship education

empowers learners to become active promoters peaceful, inclusive, secure and sustainable societies

Education for just and democratic societies

promoting the rule of law through global citizenship education

Education about the Holocaust and genocide

promoting the knowledge, skills, values and attitudes to prevent group-targeted violence

Education as a tool to prevent violent extremism

strengthening education systems and building resilience to violent extremism

Supporting democratic systems

Freedom of Expression and the Rule of Law

UNESCO's Judges initiative

Raising the capacities of over 24,000 judicial actors on freedom of expression and access to information

UNESCO and the International Police Association (IPA) partnership

building skills in upholding freedom of expression and protecting journalists

Global Media Defence Fund

Over 3,000 journalists, 600 lawyers, and 100 NGOs supported by the GMDF

The newly released UNESCO World Trends in Freedom of Expression and Media Development: Global Report 2021/2022 analyses the state of media freedom, pluralism, independence, and safety of journalists over the past five years. The Report sounds the alarm on the worrying decline of press freedom levels around the world: data and original analysis confirms that 85 percent of the world’s population experienced a decline in press freedom in their country over the past five years. The Report also examines the impact of COVID-19 on already struggling news media environments, ranging from new restrictions on press freedom to failing traditional business models.

MOOC: Information and Elections in the Digital Era

Organized by the Knight Center for Journalism in the Americas, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and the United Nations Development Program (UNDP).

While the digital era has presented opportunities for enhancing freedom of expression, social media also poses new challenges. The spread of disinformation and misinformation online, intimidation and harassment (particularly against women), hate speech, and micro-targeting can undermine electoral and governance processes. During this five-week massive open online course, which will be held from September 19 to October 23, 2022, students will explore the diverse malpractices, strategies and techniques, which electoral stakeholders face online.

Youth

UNESCO is committed to empower underprivileged youth, bolster their resilience and work on peacebuilding

International UNESCO/José Martí Prize

Hate speech in the form of xenophobia, racism, antisemitism, anti-Muslim hatred, anti-LGBTQI+ hatred, misogyny and other types of intolerance is on the rise worldwide, spreading faster and further than ever before through social media. Both online and offline, hate speech targets and dehumanizes people and peoples based on who they are – often by actors seeking political gain.