Resources
Explore a wide range of valuable resources on GCED to deepen your understanding and enhance your research, advocacy, teaching, and learning.
11 Results found
Freedom of Expression Toolkit: A Guide for Students Year of publication: 2013 Corporate author: UNESCO Everyone should have all the necessary tools and mechanism to allow the free flow of information. Much has been written about freedom of expression, indeed it is one of the most debated concepts and issues of our times. However, few such publications are written with youth as the main target readers, especially for young women and men still in high schools and pre-university level. This Toolkit is one such tool targeted at high schools and pre-university students. Young women and men must be empowered and literate in the issues and concepts of freedom of expression in order to become a discerning citizen in a democracy. 
The Implications of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Fundamental Rights and Civic Space Year of publication: 2022 Author: Filip Pazderski | Giada Negri | Chayma Khazzani | Ivana Rosenzweigova | Boglarka Szalma | Luben Panov | Carlotta Besozzi Corporate author: European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) This report was compiled for the European Economic and Social Committee at the request of the Diversity Europe Group by a consortium of four partners - European Civic Forum, Civil Society Europe, European Center for Not-for-Profit Law and the Institute of Public Affairs. It examines how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected the work of civil society organisations (CSOs) across Europe. It also focuses on how solutions implemented in individual EU Member States have impacted CSOs' ability to exercise their fundamental rights and freedoms.The report is based on in-depth analysis of existing studies and reports, a survey, 29 expert interviews and three focus groups. It showcases a number of ways in which the pandemic has affected the functioning of civil society organisations in the EU. The observations emerging from the different stages of the research were characterised by a high degree of consistency, validating the picture depicted. 
Defending Creative Voices: Artists in Emergencies, Learning from the Safety of Journalists Year of publication: 2023 Author: Rosario Soraide Corporate author: UNESCO Artists and cultural professionals often come across significant challenges to their freedom of expression, including violence and harassment – online and offline – legal persecution, detention, imprisonment and, in the worst of cases, murder. Emergency situations can result in additional risks for them, as many become increasingly targeted in connection to the visibility of their work and see their livelihoods impacted upon by income loss and unemployment in the cultural sector. While the attacks and threats that artists and cultural professionals face during emergencies are similar to those affecting journalists, they do not receive the same level of attention nor access to protection mechanisms and opportunities for assistance. Over the past decades, a strong framework has emerged to advance journalists’ safety at international, regional and national levels, including through legal and regulatory instruments, protection mechanisms, support networks and consistent collective mobilization for their rights. Despite growing awareness of the vulnerability of artists and cultural professionals in emergency contexts and increased efforts to safeguard their rights and ensure their safety, progress in this regard remains comparatively much more incipient. With the support of UNESCO’s Culture and Communication and Information Sector, and based on a comparative analysis, this study therefore aims to strengthen the protection of artists and cultural professionals during emergencies by drawing lessons from the experience, challenges, and achievements in the field of journalists’ safety. It presents actionable recommendations and identifies areas in which synergies between key stakeholders promoting, respectively, artistic and media freedom could serve to reinforce the protection of both at-risk artists and journalists. 
UNESCO's Communication and Information Sector: upholding information as a public good, advancing universal access, digital inclusion and freedom of expression Year of publication: 2023 Corporate author: UNESCO 
Human Right and Encryption Year of publication: 2016 Author: Wolfgang Schulz | Joris van Hoboken Corporate author: UNESCO This publication follows UNESCO’s new approach to Internet issues, as endorsed in November 2015 on the occasion of its 38th General Conference. Our 195 Member States have adopted the CONNECTing the Dots Outcome Document, in which 38 options for future action from UNESCO are set out; and the Internet Universality principles (R.O.A.M.),which advocates for a Human-rights-based, Open and Accessible Internet, governed by Multi-stakeholder participation.Encryption is a hot topic in the current global discussion on Internet governance. This research delves into the subject, to outline a global overview of the various means of encryption, their availability and their potential applications in the media and communications landscape. The research explains how the deployment of encryption is affected by different areas of law and policy, and it offers detailed case studies of encryption in selected jurisdictions.It analyzes in-depth the role of encryption in the media and communications landscape, and the impact on different services, entities and end users. Built on this exploration and analysis, the research provides recommendations on encryption policy that are useful for various stakeholders. These include signaling the need to counter the lack of gender sensitivity in the current debate, and also highlighting ideas for enhancing “encryption literacy”. 
Guidelines for the governance of digital platforms: safeguarding freedom of expression and access to information through a multi-stakeholder approach Year of publication: 2023 Corporate author: UNESCO Guidelines for an Internet for TrustSafeguarding freedom of expression and the right to information while dealing with dis- and misinformation, hate speech, and conspiracy theories requires a multistakeholder approach. This is the reason why UNESCO, the leading UN agency for the promotion and protection of freedom of expression and to information, is launching Guidelines for the Governance of Digital Platforms. The Guidelines outline a set of duties, responsibilities and roles for States, digital platforms, intergovernmental organizations, civil society, media, academia, the technical community and other stakeholders to enable the environment where freedom of expression and information are in the core of digital platforms governance processes. The Guidelines were produced through a multi-stakeholder consultation that gathered more than 10,000 comments from 134 countries. These global-scale consultations fostered inclusive participation, ensuring a diversity of voices to be heard, including those from groups in situation of marginalization and vulnerability. Cultivating an Internet of Trust is a shared responsibility among all stakeholders. It calls upon us all to sustain an enabling environment for freedom of expression and the right to information. 
Journey through the MILtiverse: Media and Information Literacy Toolkit for Youth Organizations Year of publication: 2024 Author: Sandra Acero Pulgarin | Natalia González-Gil | Alejandro Santamaría Virviescas Corporate author: UNESCO Empowering Youth Organizations with and for Media and Information LiteracyIn an era where digital interactions dominate, young people must be equipped with more than just basic digital literacy skills. Media and Information Literacy (MIL) has become an essential competency, enabling them to critically navigate the overwhelming ow of information in our fast-paced and complex information ecosystem. \With the Internet user base getting younger every day — data shows that one in three internet users is a child — countries worldwide are increasingly working on integrating MIL into their education systems. Despite these advancements, many young people still grapple with challenges such as disinformation, hate speech, and other harmful online content. Additionally, new technologies continue to emerge, creating challenges with unknown impacts. For example, 80% of young people aged 10 to 24 use AI multiple times a day for education, entertainment, and other purposes. Global youth organizations are at the forefront of UNESCO’s eorts to promote MIL among young people through informal education. This toolkit serves as a primary resource to help these organizations incorporate MIL into their strategies, policies, and operations, aiming to make MIL a lasting component of their practices and peer-to-peer educational programs. Join us on this journey through the MILtiverse and empower the next generation by making MIL a fundamental life competence for their futures. 
World Trends in Freedom of Expression and Media Development: Special Digital Focus 2015 Year of publication: 2017 Author: Iginio Gagliardone | Danit Gal | Thiago Alves Pinto | Gabriela Martinez Sainz Corporate author: UNESCO Given the success of the first World Trends report and the need for additional research, UNESCO led a second edition in the series, focusing in depth on selected digital-era trends. World Trends in Freedom of Expression and Media Development – Special Digital Focus 2015 provides a substantive analysis of key areas identified in the first World Trends as particularly relevant for further study, namely the issues of: online hate speech, protection of journalism sources, and the role of internet intermediaries in fostering freedom of expression, as well as continued focus on the safety of journalists. It also builds on issues raised in the 2015 UNESCO study titled Keystones to foster inclusive Knowledge Societies. 
‘Hate Speech’ Explained: A Toolkit Year of publication: 2015 Corporate author: ARTICLE 19 In this toolkit, ARTICLE 19 provides a guide to identifying ’hate speech‘ and how effectively counter it, while protecting the rights to freedom of expression and equality. It responds to a growing demand for clear guidance on identifying “hate speech,” and for responding to the challenges ‘hate speech’ poses within a human rights framework.The toolkit is guided by the principle that coordinated and focused action taken to promote the rights to freedom of expression and equality is essential for fostering a tolerant, pluralistic and diverse democratic society in which all human rights can be realised for all people. 
Regulatory Authorities for Electronic Media and Media Literacy: Comparative Analysis of the Best European Practices Year of publication: 2018 Author: Robert Tomljenović Corporate author: Council of Europe This study analyses the best European practices of promoting media literacy, one of the key skills for living in the 21st century, highlighting the vital role of the regulatory authority for electronic media. The study indicates challenges and issues that come with living in a digitalized, hyper-technological mediated world, in which we are faced with countless information, issues of disinformation and fake news, algorithmic separation in ideological echo chambers, hate speech, clickbait journalism, and decreased trust in both mainstream media and the level of journalistic professionalism.