Promoting Free Flow of Ideas
As the United Nations Specialized Agency with a mandate to promote ‘the free flow of ideas by word and image’ and to ‘maintain, increase and diffuse knowledge’, UNESCO implements a specific programme in Eastern Africa. UNESCO Nairobi fosters freedom of expression, media independence and pluralism, with a focus on the engagement and participation of women and youth in the media, and promotes universal access to information and preservation of documentary heritage. UNESCO Nairobi also acts as the focal point to the Regional Memory of the World Committee for Africa (ARCMOW).
UNESCO works with both duty-bearers and rights-holders to develop and implement targeted actions that are informed by local needs to ensure a sustainable change. Through capacity-building, policy advice, and international and regional cooperation, in the fields of freedom of expression, media development, documentary heritage, and digital transformation, UNESCO empowers key actors with a view to ensuring a free flow of information and knowledge. The CI programme in Eastern Africa is an integral part of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and contributes to the achievement of all SDGs with a particular focus on SDG 16, in particular SDG 16.10 on access to information and promotion of fundamental freedoms.