Media and information literacy empowers people to develop themselves and their societies to better respond to potentially harmful kinds of content. As the world recovers from the COVID-19 and continues to grapple with the alarming rise in disinformation, media and information literacy comes to the fore as a sustainable solution for building resilience and for advancing the role of information as a public good. Global Media and Information Literacy Week (24 – 31 October) highlights the importance of strengthening media and information literacy for all, looking towards a post-pandemic world.

Freedom of expression is a fundamental right, indispensable in democratic societies. However, this right is not an absolute right, and may be lawfully restricted according to certain principles and conditions. Under international human rights law, and specifically, article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), the three-part test determines whether a restriction on freedom of expression is legitimate.

"We took around seven children back to the UNICEF compound here in Kabul… there was a little boy called Mudares [...

"We know that whenever you have these sort of atrocity crimes that happened here [Bosnia and Herzegovina], they're often preceded by hate." Ingrid Macdonald, UN Resident Coordinator in Bosnia and Herzegovina, is tasked with spearheading the UN’s efforts to support development in a country deeply scarred by ethnic divisions and the legacy of war and the 1995 genocide at Srebrenica. Since relocating to Sarajevo in early 2020, just as COVID-19 was taking hold, Ingrid has been focused on finding ways to bring divided communities together and tackle hate speech and genocide denial, just 26 years after Bosnian Serb forces massacred 8,000 Muslim men and boys. She talks about the challenges she faced in her roles and of trying to advocate for the vulnerable, including women in Afghanistan.

“When I could no longer pursue the dream of being an artist because my hands became too weak to hold a pencil, I needed [...] a new dream [...] that is, in itself, a gift to be able to [...] change direction and ask yourself, what else? That I still have my spirit. I still have my mind and I still have a deep desire and yearning for an extraordinary life. And I still want to be of service to humanity and the world.” In this episode of Awake at Night, we meet Eddie Ndopu; an award-winning disability activist from South Africa and one of 17 UN advocates for the SDGs. Diagnosed with spinal muscular atrophy and given only 5 years to live, he is now 30 and has dedicated his life to ensure that the voices of those at greatest risk of being left behind are being amplified and heard worldwide.

“The women and the girls of Afghanistan have earned the right to be heard, to take their place in society openly, as they have done behind the scenes for decades, if not centuries." Nada Al-Nashif, Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights, has been serving the United Nations for almost 30 years. Nada experienced one of the darkest days in the UN’s history. On 19 August 2003, a truck packed with a tonne of explosives blew up the UN’s headquarters in Baghdad, killing 22 colleagues. “It's hard to accept but you need to because you cannot keep asking ‘Why was I there? Why me? Why not me?’” she says. Nada explains how her own injuries act as a constant reminder of human vulnerability and the blessing of having survived to tell the story.

“Going to space will become like taking a plane today; working in space, living in space, having a one-week holiday in space.” In this episode of Awake at night, we meet Simonetta Di Pippo, Director of the UN Office for Outer Space Affairs. Trained as an Astrophysicist in her native Italy, Di Pippo was the first female director of the European Space Agency. Since then, her work has been integral in using space for our common wellbeing here on Earth.

Join ITU for the first episode of five, learning everything you need to know to stay safe and have fun online! Stay safe, stay tuned, engage! The internet is a great place with exciting adventures and opportunities. However, it is also a place that hides many risks if we are not careful with our behaviour when we surf the web. Here is a step-by-step guide on how to protect ourselves when we communicate, play, and surf online.

Sustainable development depends more than ever on connecting all communities to digital resources and knowledge. Innovation is integral to the economic growth of countries and the digital inclusion of societies in a post-COVID-19 world. Next year the ITU is hosting the World Telecommunication Development Conference in Addis Ababa focused on connectivity. In the Road to Addis series, an event discussing the role and challenges of entrepreneurship-driven innovation will take place on 21 July 2021, 14:00 – 15:30 CES. Register for the live webinar.

"If anything works for women, in any country, it is most likely to work for most people. If you want to address the majority of the people who really need you, target women." In this episode of Awake at Night, we meet Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, Executive Director of UN Women. Phumzile shares anecdotes about her friendship with Mandela and describes the formative issues behind her leadership of women’s rights and drive for investment in gender equality that culminate in the Generation Equality Forum.

"I understand the people I speak to in my current job, because I've been in their shoes: I've been arbitrarily detained. I've experienced enforced disappearance.” In this episode of Awake at Night, we meet Michelle Bachelet, now UN High Commissioner for Human Rights. Michelle was the first female President of Chile for the Socialist Party. She speaks of how she and her mother were taken to a clandestine detention centre; of exile in Australia and East Germany; of her motivations to study medicine and return to Chile and why she remains a prisoner of hope. "We may not be all responsible for the past, but we are responsible for the future."

"I could have gone on a Kindertransport to London, where the British were ready to receive 10,000 Jewish children. But I'm the only child [and my mother is a] widow. She said, ‘No, we’re going to stick together’. So it was a matter of trying to find ways to get out of hell. [...] And strangely enough, at that time in 1938, Hitler just wanted the Jews out. But there was no place to go [...] we heard many, many nations saying, ‘We cannot afford to take in so many refugees’." In this episode of Awake at Night, we meet Rabbi Arthur Schneier; a Holocaust survivor and a human rights activist. UN Secretary-General António Guterres has called him "an inspiration for the world and for the United Nations."

During the COVID-19 crisis information and communication technologies (ICTs) have proved critical to continue our daily work. Nevertheless, the pandemic has also exposed the digital inequalities between and within our countries. This World Telecommunication and Information Society Day (WTISD) is an opportunity to continue digital transformation by promoting strategies on ICT development, smart policies to encourage investments, cooperation, and partnership. Accelerating digital transformation can truly advance the goals and targets of the Connect 2030 Agenda to leave no one behind.

The content we engage with can influence what we think is important, and even our beliefs and attitudes. However, disinformation, hate speech, and polarized narratives make for confusion about what to trust. While journalists play a crucial role in the production and sharing of quality and reliable information, they are increasingly working under precarious conditions. Under the theme “Information as a Public Good,” this year’s observance calls for strengthening the media’s role, developing information literacy, and reinforcing the transparency of digital platforms.

This year’s World Press Freedom Day serves as a call to affirm the importance of cherishing information as a public good. Strengthening journalism though the production, distribution, and reception of content to advance transparency and empowerment while leaving no one behind is of urgent relevance. The leading minds of the world of journalism, media and technology as well as experts, policy makers, and activists, will come together to affirm information as a public good in the 2021 World Press Freedom Day Global Conference (29 April – 3 May), hosted by UNESCO and the Government of Namibia.