Communication and Information

The Communication and Information Sector (CI) was established in its present form in 1990. Its programmes are rooted in UNESCO’s Constitution, which requires the Organization to promote the “free flow of ideas by word and image.” Besides its staff at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris, the CI Sector is represented in 27 UNESCO field offices.

The Communication and Information Sector is headed by Abdul Waheed Khan (India), Assistant Director-General for Communication and Information. 

It consists of:

• the Communication Development Division 
• the Division for Freedom of Expression, Democracy and Peace 
• the Information Society Division

• Access to Information
  UNESCO supports actions designed to empower people so that they can access and contribute to information and knowledge flows.
• Capacity Building
  UNESCO’s actions focuses providing people with the skills and abilities for critical reception, assessment and use of information in their professional and personal lives through media education and information literacy programmes.
• Content Development
  Stimulating the development of, and access to divers contents is crucial for knowledge societies.
• Freedom of Expression
  Promoting Freedom of Expression, Press Freedom, Independence and Pluralism of the Media, Democraty, Peace and Tolerance 
• Media Development
  UNESCO helps to stenghten the capacities of communication institutions, to improve the training of media professionals and to raise awareness among the public in making best use of communication resources.
• Memory of the World
  The memory of the peoples of the world is of vital importance in preserving cultural identities, in linking past and present and in shaping the future.

The Sector also provides the secretariats for two intergovernmental programmes: the International Programme for the Development of Communication (IPDC) and the Information for All Programme (IFAP). 

The three principal strategic objectives of the Sector’s programmes are:

• Promoting the free flow of ideas and universal access to information 
• Promoting the expression of pluralism and cultural diversity in the media and world information networks
• Promoting access for all to ICTs

In addition to the Regular Programme, the CI Sector implements various inter-regional, regional and national projects with extra-budgetary funding mainly in Africa, the Arab States, Asia, the Pacific, Latin America and the Caribbean. The Sector collaborates with UN agencies, bilateral development agencies, international and regional non-governmental agencies.

One example from our work:

Tags: Communication, Information, UNESCO