Communication & Information

UNESCO has been concerned with the uneven distribution of communication and information across the globe since its inception in 1945. The organisation recognises the fundamental role of communication and information to fostering peace and development, the right we should all share to freedom of expression, to hold our own opinions, and to express them freely.

UNESCO works to protect these rights, and its impacts are firmly rooted in the demands and needs of 21st-century citizens. UNESCO offers guidance on combating online hate speech and misinformation, and coordinates World Press Freedom Day to raise awareness of the importance of free and independent media.

Promoting the safety of journalists around the world: UNESCO globally advocates for the safety of journalists, being a key organisation in the UN Plan of Action on the Safety of Journalists and the Issue of Impunity. UNESCO monitors the killing of journalists and media workers across the globe, and to raise awareness and promote action, it publishes the Observatory of Killed Journalists. The Observatory provides updated information on the killing of journalists since 1993 and on the judicial status of condemned cases since 2006.

UNESCO also promotes Media and Information Literacy programmes to equip citizens with the skills to assess information, and identify fake news, and coordinates Open Education Resources and global efforts to ensure AI technologies respect human rights and ethical principles.

Our work, and that of our Expert Network, has a significant positive impact on the government's commitment to fulfilling UNESCO’s action on communication and information across the globe. We recognise the importance of public access to information and the protection of fundamental freedoms to peaceful and inclusive societies.

Framework Setting

UNESCO establishes an international normative framework for equitable communication and information through Conventions, Recommendations, Committees, and other agreements. Conventions and agreements help develop national policies and set-up international frameworks. These frameworks protect global rights on a myriad of subjects, including new communication technologies, and lay the foundations for the free flow of information, ideas, and international cultural cooperation.
The UK Government has acceded or ratified the following standard-setting instruments in communication and information below.

Name	Year	UK Ratified (Year)
Convention concerning the Exchange of Official Publications and Government Documents between States - Promotes the exchange of official publications to foster international cooperation and access to government information	1958	1958
Universal Copyright Convention - Establishes international standards for copyright protection, ensuring creators’ rights are respected globally while balancing public access to knowledge	1971	1971
Convention for the Protection of Producers of Phonograms against Unauthorized Duplication of their Phonograms - Protects producers against the unauthorised reproduction and distribution of sound recordings to combat piracy	1971	1971

Name	Year
Recommendation concerning the International Standardization of Statistics Relating to Book Production and Periodical - Establishes methods for collecting comparable data on book and periodical production to support global analysis and publishing trends	1958
Recommendation concerning the International Standardization of Statistics on Radio and Television - Sets guidelines for compiling consistent statistics on radio and television broadcasts, audiences, and content distribution	1976
Recommendation for the Safeguarding and Preservation of Moving Images - Stresses the importance of preserving audiovisual materials as essential cultural and historical records	1980
Revised Recommendation concerning the International Standardization of Statistics on the Production and Distribution of Books, Newspapers and Periodicals - Updates earlier guidelines to improve the collection of standardised data on the global production and distribution of published materials	1985
Recommendation concerning the Promotion and Use of Multilingualism and Universal Access to Cyberspace - Encourages linguistic diversity and equal access to information in the digital age, promoting inclusive knowledge societies	2003
Recommendation concerning the preservation of, and access to, documentary heritage including in digital form - Promotes safeguarding documentary heritage in physical and digital formats while ensuring public access for future generations	2015
Recommendation concerning the Promotion and Use of Multilingualism and Universal Access to Cyberspace - Encourages linguistic diversity and equal access to information online to foster inclusive knowledge societies	2015

Declaration	Year	UK Ratified (Year)
Declaration of Guiding Principles on the Use of Satellite Broadcasting for the Free Flow of Information, the Spread of Education and Greater Cultural Exchange - Encourages the responsible use of satellite broadcasting to promote international information exchange, education, and cultural understanding while respecting sovereignty and ethics	1972	1972
Declaration on Fundamental Principles concerning the Contribution of the Mass Media to Strengthening Peace and International Understanding, to the Promotion of Human Rights and to Countering Racialism, apartheid and incitement to war - Calls on mass media to support peace, human rights, and intercultural understanding while countering hate speech, racial discrimination, and violence	1978	1978

Policy Advice

We inform and advise on international and domestic communication & information matters to UNESCO and UK (and devolved) government, ensuring that the UK is seen as a world-leading, and trusted, authority in global media freedom and universal access to information.
Department for Culture, Media and Sport
Department for Science, Innovation & Technology
Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office
Freedom of Expression and Safety of Journalists Section
Universal Access to Information Section
Media and Information Literacy and Media Development Section
Digital Innovation and Transformation Section
Division for Partnerships and Operational Programme Monitoring
Documentary Heritage Unit

Expert Network

The UK National Commission for UNESCO ensures the UK’s leading specialists, intellectuals and academics are contributing to and shaping UNESCO’s communication and information mandate. We also advise the UK and devolved governments on policy relating to UNESCO’s communication and information programme.
Every accredited expert within our network is tasked with a specific committee or programme within UNESCO’s framework.
UNESCO Chair on Media Freedom, Journalism Safety and the Issue of Impunity at the University of Sheffield, led by Professor Jackie Harrison
UNESCO Chair in Transforming Knowledge and Research for Just and Sustainable Futures at the University of Bristol, led by Professor Leon Tikly
UNESCO Chair on Artificial Intelligence at University College London, led by Professor John Shawe-Taylor
UNESCO Chair on the Protection of Human Rights Defenders, and Expansion of Political Space at the University of York, led by Professor Paul Greedy
UNESCO Chair on Refugee Integration though Education, Language, and Arts at the University of Glasgow, led by Professor Alison Phipps OBE
UNESCO Chair on Innovative Informal Digital Learning in Disadvantaged and Development Contexts at the University of Wolverhampton, led by Professor John Traxler
Professor Ivor Gaber, University of Sussex. UK Representative on International Programme for the Development of Culture
William Horsley, International Director of the Centre for Freedom of Expression
Karen Merkel, former Non-Executive Director for UK National Commission for UNESCO
Dr Martin Scott, Associate Professor in Media and Global Developmen, University of East Anglia
Dr Idil Osman, Lecturer in Journalism, University of Leicester and Media Practitioner
Maria Donde, Head of International Policy & Vice Chair of European Platform of Regulatory Authorities
William Kilbride - Digital Preservation Coalition
The National Archives
BFI Education
National Literacy Trust
Alan Turing Institute
BBC Media Action
OfCom