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UNESCO renews its partnership with Sweden on freedom of expression and safety of journalists
The Kingdom of Sweden, through the Swedish International Cooperation Agency (Sida), renewed in June 2022 its longstanding support to UNESCO through the signing of two Programme Cooperation Agreements (PCAs) for the years 2022-2025, and of a Framework Agreement on the management of these funds.
The new agreement in the fields of Culture and Communication and Information foresees a financial contribution of 124 million Swedish Kronor (equivalent to 12.2 million USD) over the next four years, part of which (78,000,000 SEK) will be channelled through the Multi-Donor Programme on Freedom of Expression and Safety of Journalists (MDP) on the Communication and Information Sector’s side.
Sweden and Sida are top donors of UNESCO and some of the Multi-Donor Programme’s foremost supporters. Since its creation in 2017, the MDP has received substantial and enduring support from Sweden and its development agency Sida to promote freedom of expression, media freedom, the safety of journalists, access to information, community media sustainability and Media and Information Literacy (MIL).
This new funding agreement will enable the MDP to upscale its current actions and respond to emerging needs in the fields of policy advice and media law reform, MIL policies and strategies, gender equality in and through media, media’s crisis preparedness, support to media’s role in times of elections, and strengthening the capacities of judicial operators on international standards on freedom of expression, among others.
About the Multi-Donor Programme for Freedom of Expression and Safety of Journalists (MDP)
The MDP serves to further strengthen UNESCO work at a global, regional, and national levels, by channeling funds towards emerging priorities and the most pressing needs to achieve its mandate on freedom of expression. It enables UNESCO Communication and Information Sector to address complex issues through the design and implementation of holistic medium and long-term interventions at national, regional and global levels. The clear advantage of this mechanism is that it allows UNESCO and its partners to achieve greater impact and sustainability, whilst reducing fragmentation of activities in the same field.
