The sixth annual global celebration of Media and Information Literacy (MIL) Week will take place from 31 October to 5 November, 2016, under the theme “Media and Information Literacy: New Paradigms for Intercultural Dialogue”. The Global MIL Week 2016 feature event includes the Sixth Media and Information Literacy and Intercultural Dialogue (MILID) Conference and the First General Assembly of the Global Alliance for Partnerships on Media and Information Literacy (GAPMIL). The feature event is hosted by the University of São Paulo, Brazil, and will take place from 2 to 5 November, 2016.
Media has gone global with most households having access to radio, television or newspapers. The Internet has gone or is going global propelling media, libraries and all forms of information providers with it.
The opportunities, risks and challenges of new access to information, the Internet and media have also gone global.
The same goes for development opportunities and challenges arising from living in a global village, which concern us all. Yet citizens’ critical competencies to engage with information and media for sustainable development have not gone global.
UNESCO, together with GAPMIL, UNAOC, and the International Media and Information Literacy University Network, intend to accelerate the process of imparting media and information literacy competencies to all citizens by expanding the impact of the Global MIL Week. The purpose of Global MIL Week is to promote MIL connections across educational institutions, organizations, policies, professions, initiatives and nations.
After five earlier successful editions, this year’s Global MIL Week will take place in a much larger scale, in the forms of an international feature event, as well as local and regional events organized around the globe.
On this occasion, UNESCO and its partners call on worldwide stakeholders to organize national, regional or online events to celebrate the Global MIL Week 2016. To connect with initiatives across the globe while showcasing your local action, register your Global MIL Week event here.
The Global MIL Week 2016 feature event will, for the first time in Brazil, connect international organizations, universities, associations, research groups and educators, media professionals, information specialists and librarians, policy makers and regulators, NGOs and practitioners in MIL. It will explore the great potential of MIL to support intercultural dialogue and social inclusion as well as addressing the social and political challenges related to poverty, conflict and violent extremism, and combating climate change and its impact.
The feature event online registration form is open.
Academic papers and other forms of presentations on media and information literacy are solicited for the feature event. Authors can submit their projects here.
UNESCO invites all stakeholders to register media and information literacy initiatives and voluntary commitments.
The Global MIL Week activities and conference are important opportunities for stakeholders globally, including members of GAPMIL and the International University MILID Network to meet and share the latest research, projects, new ideas and information with a diverse gathering of individuals and organizations involved in media and information literacy – be it in print, screen-based or digital media.
For more information, please visit the Global MIL Week 2016 website at: https://en.unesco.org/global-mil-week-2016.
