The CI sector is a key contributor to all of UNESCO’s major programmes. By raising awareness on freedom of expression through trainings and workshops for media professionals and specialists, UNESCO’s CI expertise will become crucial to ensuring smoother social and political transitions in the region during the current transformative period. UNESCO Doha plans to make use of its location in Qatar to further strengthen its cooperation with the Al Jazeera training centre, for instance, which is an excellent way to ensure local as well as regional outreach to media professionals. UNESCO Doha also plans to improve the role of libraries and information centres in the region in order to help bridge the knowledge gap in the digital era.

UNESCO Doha will pursue the following CI objectives in 2012-2013:

• Capacity building of media professionals;

• Promotion of access to information, especially through the Information for All Programme;

• Promotion of Information Communication Technology (ICT) utilization in education and ICT teacher capacity building;

• Enhance media institutes and media professionals’ networks.