IPDC approves nearly $1,9 million to support media development worldwide

At its 67th meeting held at UNESCO headquarters from 15-16 June 2023, the Bureau of the Council of the International Programme for the Development of Communication (IPDC) approved substantial new funding for media development projects across the globe.

The IPDC Bureau has decided to allocate a total of $US1.6 million to finance 43 projects. Out of these, 13 projects will be implemented in Asia and the Pacific (30%), 12 in Africa (28%), 12 in Latin America and the Caribbean (28%), three in Central and Eastern Europe (7%), two in the Arab States region (5%) and one globally. More than a quarter of the projects will be carried out in Least Developed Countries. In line with UNESCO’s global priority gender equality, 21% of projects will specifically focus on promoting gender equality in and through the media.

The IPDC Chair, Ambassador Anna Brandt, underlined that the Bureau’s insights, collaboration and support enable IPDC to effectively reach its partners on the ground, overcoming numerous challenges.

The Bureau has also approved seven special allocations, directing $245,000 to key initiatives that complement IPDC’s grassroots projects and enhance the Programme’s capacity to tackle emerging issues in media development.

In addition to approving this new support, the Bureau has reviewed the achievements and lessons learned from projects and initiatives completed in 2022, as summarized in a publicly available results-based report.

The Bureau commended IPDC’s continued thought leadership and its role as a laboratory for ideas on emerging policy issues such as media viability, internet transparency and journalism education.

During the meeting, the Bureau received new UNESCO policy guidelines on the development and promotion of the right to information and encouraged Member States to implement these guidelines through their national frameworks.

Lastly, the Bureau welcomed an update on the development of non-binding principles for effective support to journalism and media.

The tangible impact of IPDC support on the ground was particularly highlighted on Friday, 16 June, as the Bureau welcomed Hamida Aman, founder of the Begum Organization for Women (BOW). With the support of IPDC and UNESCO, BOW aims to defend, support and empower all Afghan women. In March 2021 BOW launched Radio Begum, Afghanistan’s only radio station entirely run by women and for women.

Reflecting on the challenges of broadcasting information and educational content for women in the current context in Afghanistan, Aman stated, ‘Every day that we are broadcasting is a victory.’

Both the IPDC Chair and ADG Jelassi thanked Member States for their ongoing contributions to the Programme. IPDC donors since 2020 include Andorra, Finland, France, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, The Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Sweden, and Uruguay, as well as ICESCO and two private supporters, the Internet Society and Google.

The Bureau also welcomed several new contributions received by the IPDC, including from the Czech Republic and the Sultanate of Oman, which, as the Programme’s first donor from the Arab States region, has provided support specifically to translate key IPDC and UNESCO resources into Arabic. The Russian Federation announced its intention to contribute to the IPDC. Ireland, attending the meeting as an Observer, also expressed its commitment to supporting the Programme financially.

Closing the meeting, ADG Jelassi and the participating delegates expressed their appreciation for Ambassador Brandt’s outstanding leadership during her tenure as Chair of the IPDC for more than four years, as her mandate at UNESCO comes to a close later this summer.

Learn more about the IPDC and read about the Programme’s achievements over the past two years here.