UNESCO partners with Canal France International to support media’s role in democratic transition | WPN World People News

CFI, the development arm of France’s public television broadcaster France Télévision, and UNESCO have agreed to cooperate in media development programmes in countries in transition or those affected by conflict. The agreement reflects both organizations’ commitment to freedom of expression and democracy.

According to the partnership, CFI will provide 312,000 Euros to fund a wide range of projects for UNESCO to implement in cooperation with national authorities and local partners. CFI will also provide French experts to work on projects locally. The programmes’ goal is to stimulate the creation of an environment that allows for freedom of expression, by developing legislation and self-regulatory professional mechanisms for both media and social communication platforms.

Projects will focus on sharing expertise with legislators, supporting media development and training for journalists, including programmes on election reporting.

The agreement signals the following projects to be implemented over 18 months, ending in June 2013:

Cote d’Ivoire: workshops on press freedom and the safety of journalists; training in conflict sensitive, gender responsive reporting and investigative journalism; an analysis of the nation’s media landscape using UNESCO’s tool on basic media needs is also planned.

Myanmar: UNESCO will offer technical advice on establishing regulatory and legal framework for the media that meets international standards and best practices, as requested by the government of Myanmar; a national seminar on “the role of media / freedom of expression and information in the democratic setting” will be held in the country on World Press Freedom Day, 3 May, 2012.

Libya: UNESCO is to provide assistance in establishing a media regulatory system ahead of the upcoming elections; help organize activities for World Press Freedom Day, 3 May 2012.

Liberia: assist the Liberia Broadcasting System (LBS) in re-establishing television services; support the authorities in establishing internationally recognized standards on public broadcasting and changing the state media into editorially independent public broadcasting services; provide support for the celebration of World Press Freedom Day, 3 May 2012, in Monrovia.

Palestine: journalists will be trained on conflict sensitive reporting, including safety issues and electoral coverage; help monitor media coverage of elections scheduled to take place in May 2012; facilitate sharing of views and experiences between Palestinian journalists and bloggers on the occasion of World Press Freedom Day 2012 will also be supported.

Source:UNESCO