About IPDC

In providing support to projects, IPDC is guided by the following four priorities established by its Council:

• Promotion of freedom of expression and media pluralism:
  Encouraging the free flow of information, at international as well as national levels, promoting its wider and better balanced dissemination, without any obstacle to the freedom of expression, and strengthening communication capacities in the developing countries are essential to increase citizens’ participation in decision-making processes and to assert their fundamental rights

• Development of community media:
  Community-based media contribute to media pluralism, diversity of content, and the representation of a society’s different groups and interests. Community media encourage open dialogue and transparency of administration at local level and offer a voice to the voiceless. They actively involve community members in their operations – both as audiences and as participants. Radio is by far the most favoured community medium in developing countries. Given its accessibility and cost-effectiveness, community radio represents a democratic and participatory medium, which can successfully be used for development purposes. It is easy to operate and lies within the capacities of many local communities who are often left aside by mainstream media and information channels.

• Human resource development:
  Professional capacity building in media is a continuous process aimed at improving the knowledge, skills and awareness of media professionals. Basic and advanced training is essential to increase the investigative capacities of media workers. There are millions of journalists working in different media and they are perhaps the most influential knowledge brokers in society. But many journalists from developing countries lack access to quality journalism education and training institutions to develop their skills. In order to address this issue at its roots, UNESCO places special emphasis on building the institutional capacities of journalism education institutions, notably through the development of centres of excellence, and on providing training to trainers.

• Promotion of international partnership:
  IPDC is the only programme within the UN system aimed at mobilizing the international community to act together in support of free, independent and pluralistic media in the developing countries. The UN General Assembly’s resolution entitled ‘Information in the service of humanity’ (A/RES/66/81), adopted at its 66^th session on 9 December 2011, “urges all countries, organizations of the United Nations system as a whole and all others concerned […] to provide full support for the International Programme for the Development of Communication of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, which should support both public and private media”.