[UNESCO CI News] CI highlights

UNESCO Communication and Information Weekly Newsletter

• 25.09.15 UNESCO calls to combat online and offline violence against women and girls 73 percent of women have already been exposed to, or have experienced, some form of online violence. Online violence against women exists in many forms, including online harassment, public shaming, sexual assaults and induced suicides. In the European Union, 9 million women -some as young as 15 years old- have experienced online violence. In response to these worrying trends, the Broadband Commission Working Group on Gender launched today a report titled 'Combatting Online Violence Against Women and Girls: A Worldwide Wake-Up Call.'

• 25.09.15 How to adjust media ethics to the digital era discussed in Pristina The rapid progress of technology has shaken the roots of different aspects of social life, and journalism has not been an exception. In Kosovo (under UNSCR 1244) newspapers such as Gazeta Express, Tribuna and several other outlets have switched to online-only editions. While adopted for print media outlets, the Code of Ethics of the Kosovo Press Council has not yet addressed the new ethical journalistic dilemmas brought by the new media landscape. To tackle this issue, UNESCO supported the organization of a workshop to discuss the shortcomings of the Press Code of Kosovo regarding online media self-regulation and some potential amendments to the Code.

• 25.09.15 UNESCO International Advisory Committee to meet in Abu Dhabi to nominate documentary heritage of world significance The 12th Meeting of the International Advisory Committee (IAC) will be held from 4 to 6 October 2015 in Abu Dhabi on the generous invitation of the National Archives of the United Arab Emirates. The host institution is a leading research and archival institution, charged with preserving and documenting the history and heritage of the United Arab Emirates and the Gulf region in general.

• 24.09.15 IPDC facilitates acquisition of science journalism knowledge among Turkmen journalists Turkmenistan is turning to its journalists in an attempt to popularize the uptake of science among its youthful population. This was the context of a UNESCO workshop held from 17 to 18 September in the country's capital, Ashgabat.

• 24.09.15 Community radio stations in Kenya to exercise more accountability in the interest of the public On 10 and 11 September 2015 UNESCO organized a mentoring workshop in Nairobi, Kenya, on local radio management for eight community radios taking part in the SIDA-funded project "Empowering Local Radios with ICTs." The two-day workshop saw participants deliberating on various management issues within their particular radio stations, as well as on measures to be taken to ensure that the needs of their respective communities are met. Participants learnt from each other and experts attending the workshop about best practices to make their radio stations run smoothly, ensuring the production of quality content.

• 24.09.15 Infoethics Conference for Eastern Caribbean States organized in St Kitts-Nevis this week The first-ever "Conference and Consultation on the Ethical Dimensions of the Information Society and Internet Privacy" for Member States - Antigua & Barbuda, Dominica, Grenada, St Martin, St. Lucia and St Vincent & The Grenadines, and Associate States - Anguilla and the British Virgin Islands, of the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) opened in Frigate Bay, St. Kitts-Nevis yesterday.

• 23.09.15 Broadband Report 2015 launched in Geneva this week "The State of Broadband 2015: Broadband as a Foundation for Sustainable Development" report was launched by the Broadband Commission on 21 September 2015. It shows that the overall growth in broadband has decreased significantly over the last years and the gap between the people offline and online remains persistent. 57 % of the world's population are still not connected to the Internet. This report shall be considered as an urgent reminder and call to take action to connect the next and last billion people around the globe and to ensure that they have the capacities and content to make use of the Internet for enhancing their livelihood and achieve sustainable development.

• 22.09.15 Myanmar media stakeholders discuss safety of journalists during the elections UNESCO organized a National Dialogue on the Safety of Journalists during Elections in Yangon on 14 September 2015. The workshop provided a timely platform to align and build joint strategies around the media coverage of the electoral process and safety of journalists before, during and after the elections. Senior representatives from the Government of Myanmar, media organizations and stakeholders openly discussed the role of media in the up-coming in November 2015 elections and ways to ensure the safety of journalists.

• 22.09.15 UNESCO launches the 6th publication in the Internet Freedom series Adding to global knowledge resources about the Internet, UNESCO has launched a new study called "Principles for governing the Internet". This reviews and analyses more than 50 Internet-specific declarations and frameworks relevant to Internet principles.

• 21.09.15 UNESCO at the 70th Session of the UN General Assembly and the Adoption of the Post-2015 Development Agenda From 22 to 30 September, UNESCO Director-General, Irina Bokova, is in New York to take part in a number of high-level events within the framework of the 70th Session of the United Nations General Assembly. She will join Heads of State, Government leaders, UN High Level Representatives and civil society for the historic adoption of new Sustainable Development Goals, from 25 to 27 September. These represent a universal, ambitious, sustainable development agenda, an agenda "of the people, by the people and for the people," crafted with UNESCO's active involvement.

• 21.09.15 Promoting gender equality through community media among refugees in Ethiopia Ethiopia is one of the countries in Africa with the highest number of refugees. More than 630,000 refugees from Eritrea, Somalia, Sudan, and South Sudan are accommodated in 23 refugee camps spread across the country. The Government maintains an open-door-policy and continues to allow humanitarian access and protection to those seeking refuge on its territory. The majority seeking refuge are women and children. Due to this demographic, within the refugee camps, gender based violence and women's inequality remain preoccupations.

• 21.09.15 Launch of the Media Development Indicators study for Jordan More than 100 people from the media sector, the international community, the government and civil society came together on 8 September to launch UNESCO's Report on Media Development in Jordan, based on the UNESCO/IPDC Media Development Indicators. "It is one of our best studies, if not the best," said Guy Berger, UNESCO Director for Freedom of Expression and Media Development, during the event that took place at 'Shams' in old Amman. "We are pleased to present it to Jordanian stakeholders as a contribution to further develop the media as a key vehicle towards becoming a knowledge society."

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