WJEC’s Paris Declaration on Freedom of Journalism Education has won traction within the UN system. On 26 November, a specialized committee of Member States at UNESCO, recognized the Declaration in an intergovernmental decision on journalism education.
The Paris Declaration, which was adopted by 600 participants from more than 70 countries at the 2019 World Journalism Education Congress, had asked UNESCO for support.
The UNESCO Decision, available here, was taken by the “IPDC” – a 39 member council of UNESCO, elected by the 193 member states of the Organisation, and which meets every year to discuss media development, safety of journalists and access to information.
The acronym IPDC stands for the “International Programme for the Development of Communication”, which has persisted over 40 years as a mechanism to address issues originally raised by the New World Information Order debate.
In the Decision, the IPDC’s council said it “noted with interest” the Paris Declaration, and instructed the secretariat to seek increased partnerships and to support networks such as the WJEC. The Decision further urged that there be a series of “consultations with all relevant stakeholders on current challenges of journalism education”.
A background document for the IPDC explained the history and achievements of the WJEC. This stated: “Building on the momentum of UNESCO’s engagement with the 2019 World Journalism Education Congress, addressed by UNESCO’s Director-General, there is strong and timely potential to amplify the Organization’s work in 2021-2022. This potential could be realized in a form of IPDC recognition for the WJEC declaration.”
The document continued: “Such a symbolic step would enable strong buy-in from journalism educators and trainers, creative partnerships, and high impact on journalism education”. It listed potential outputs such as new curricula being developed that could “be expected to cascade into improved news production, and thereby benefit the public through enhancing the supply quality and specialized journalism”.
In the wake of the Decision, the WJEC is in discussions with UNESCO about practical follow-up possibilities.
More to come in upcoming weeks!
