UNESCO is the leading international organization globally promoting media and information literacy. Following the recent Global Media and Information Literacy Week 2021 celebrations, UNESCO is organizing the “Advancing an International Multi-Stakeholder Framework for Digital Communications Companies to Promote Media and Information Literacy” session in the framework of the Internet Governance Forum (IGF).
The current health crisis has created a state of general isolation and underscored the unprecedented necessity of and dependence on the digital sphere of information, social networks, and the internet in general. Social and economic implications have arisen giving the growing phenomenon of disinformation and misinformation by either a lack of access to information or media and information literacy competencies to critically evaluate information. There are also concerns about social media transparency and media viability in the present information ecology. However, there is a lack of systemize multi-stakeholder cooperation among private companies including digital communication companies, governments, civil society, the academic and research sector and community-based actors to promote media and information in digital spaces.
Media and information literacy helps users of online platforms to understand importance of the internet to social development and to engage in promoting open, rights-based, accessible and multi-stakeholder governance of the internet. An “International Multi-Stakeholder Framework for Digital Communications Companies to Promote Media and Information Literacy” to advance inclusive policy approaches for people/citizens meaningful engagement in internet governance is needed to fill the existing gap.
Moderator: Mr Tawfik Jelassi, Assistant Director-General, Communication and Information Sector, UNESCO
Speakers:
- Ms Vera Jourova, Vice President and Commissioner, European Commission
- Ms Sinéad McSweeney Global Vice President of Public Policy, Twitter
- Ms Samia Bibars, Minister Plenipotentiary and Director, Monitoring & Crisis Management Department Media & Information Sector, Arab League (Speaking on behalf of the Secretary General of the Arab League)
- Ms Silvia Bacher, Founder, Las Otras Voces, Member of the UNESCO Media and Information Literacy Alliance
- Ms Sonia Gill, Secretary General, Caribbean Broadcasting Union
- Ms Clair Deevy, Director of Global Policy Programs, WhatsApp
Livestream: http://webcast.unesco.org/events/2021-12-MIL-IGF
