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On 3, 4 and 12 October, UNESCO’s Information for All Programme (IFAP) Working Group on Information for Development, in collaboration with , convened the annual .

11 panelists from Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Thailand, Turkey, United Kingdom and United States triggered critical discussions on digital competencies for information literacy and its implementation strategies across international communities. The experts shared their experiences which enriched the discussions on challenges of media and information literacy (MIL) across different platforms, addressing disinformation and propaganda, critical thinking and media, and religious literacy as tools for capacity building and embedding MIL in school curriculum.

The roundtable and symposium reviewed the definition of the core competencies in information literacy, namely the ability to understand the architecture of information and its scholarly process, to search and critically evaluate resources, to synthesize them into an existing body of knowledge, to communicate and to disseminate findings clearly and effectively to interested stakeholders. Furthermore, the leading experts identified critical thinking skills as being crucial in dealing with the disinformation and rumours in identifying the source of the information.

Several recommendations were made to tackle critical issues, notably hate speech and disinformation on social media. To enhance critical thinking, the experts have agreed on the importance of MIL education among the public, as well as of systematically introducing digital citizenship from kindergarten to higher education and establishing networking organizations for a wide group of teachers and media professionals. Moreover, governments were invited to strengthen teaching and learning environments, embedding MIL practices in school settings.

In 2021, IFAP Working Group on Information Literacy presented Celik Digital @UMP STEM LAB interim report: Digital Competencies for Information Literacy. The report featured focus group discussions on issues related to digital competencies for media and information literacy with representatives from the Ministry of Education Malaysia, Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation, as well as from experts from universities and agencies. The document provides valuable information on lessons learnt from both local and international experts on digital competencies, challenges and opportunities specifically targeting the communities in Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand and the Philippines.