UNESCO

A message by
newly-designated
UNESCO Goodwill
Ambassador
for Freedom
of Expression
and Journalist
Safety Christiane
Amanpour was
tweeted by the
Organization to
raise awareness on
the International
Day to End Impunity
for Crimes against
Journalists
(2 November).
48
Christiane Amanpour,
new UNESCO Goodwill
Ambassador for Freedom of
Expression and Journalist
Safety
On 29 April, the renowned journalist and CNN
chief international correspondent, Ms Christiane
Amanpour, was designated a UNESCO Goodwill
Ambassador for Freedom of Expression and
Journalist Safety. This title was bestowed upon
Ms Amanpour in recognition of her efforts
to promote free, independent and pluralistic
media, having the right to work free from the
threat of violence, and contributing through
this to peace, sustainability, poverty eradication
and human rights. Ms Amanpour has won
every major television journalism award,
including eleven News and Documentary
Emmy Awards, four Peabody Awards, two
George Polk Awards, three duPont-Columbia
Awards and the Courage in Journalism Award.
Radio: a medium
for the future
The fourth edition of World Radio
Day (13 February) maintained the
success of previous years, bringing
the world together through more than
320 events in over 80 countries across
the globe. Hundreds of radio stations
and media organizations took part in the
celebrations, and around 100,000 World
Radio Day-related tweets were sent
out. The enthusiastic participation
that marked the Day proves that radio
remains a relevant medium, particularly
when it includes young people as
creators and producers of radio
programming.
At UNESCO Headquarters, almost
20 radio stations, from major international
broadcasters to local and community
outlets, came together to broadcast live,
participate in debates and demonstrate
the potential of youth broadcasting to
hundreds of visitors. The International
Telecommunication Union (ITU), the
European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and
UNESCO hosted a joint live broadcast
which was streamed online. It featured
special reports and segments by radio
stations from every corner of the world, as
well as a special evening of programming
from the ITU Headquarters in Geneva.
As an alternative to public and
commercial media, community media are
characterized by their local accountability
to the societies they serve. In 2015,
UNESCO hosted a two-day international
workshop on sustainability strategies
for the sector, which produced a set of
recommendations for strengthening
policy worldwide.
What do young people
want from their national
broadcasters?
In April, over 40 participants, including
representatives of youth organizations and TV
broadcasters from the Middle East and North
Africa, and programme-makers from Europe,
met in Jordan for a ‘Youth on Screen’ conference,
a collaborative initiative framed under two
projects funded by the European Union. They
exchanged ideas, experiences and discussed
new TV programme formats, with the aim of
better responding to the needs of young people,
facilitating their engagement, and improving
the image of young women and men in media
content. Among the issues addressed were
the media consumption habits and the needs
of young audiences, and the representation of
young people in mainstream media. Later in
November, national meetings to further discuss
these topics were organized in Jordan and
Palestine, and more will follow throughout 2016
in other southern Mediterranean countries.
Among other activities to develop
community radio leaders in 2015, a twoday
workshop was organized by UNESCO
in Kigali (Rwanda) in October to support
four local radio stations. Addressed
at community radio practitioners, the
workshop contributed to reconfirming
priority needs, mobilizing local
involvement and leadership. This event
was held in the framework of a project
supported by UNESCO and SIDA. Roundtable
discussions enabled the trainees
to leverage the potential of information
and communication technology (ICT) to
empower community radios by improving
their infrastructure and networking.