Maputo, Mozambique

Organised by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), this 2-day conference is being held in Maputo, Mozambique to coincide with World Press Freedom Day.

The conference is has the following three themes:

• Theme 1: Press freedom contributes to empowerment - The media fulfills an essential component of a democratic society as access to a free, independent and pluralistic media is essential for gaining awareness of the issues that matter both nationally and internationally. Empowerment of community members relies on access to diverse media outlets, however, several factors affect the extent to which the media environment can empower its citizens; including media variety, the existence of professional standards and access to new technology. .
• Theme 2: The role of community media - According to the organisers, local media can invite participation from marginalised and vulnerable populations that are often overlooked by larger media. This theme aims to explore the potential of local media to provide an interactive platform for decision making by the community.
• Theme 3: Access to information - This theme will explore how information allows decisions to be made based on fact, which depends not only on the collection and dissemination of reliable data, but also on the means of accessing this information.

Click here for more information about the conference.

The conference aims to attract journalists, representatives of government, and media-related organisations.

Click here for online registration.