{"id":6201,"date":"2025-11-10T16:33:42","date_gmt":"2025-11-10T10:33:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/medianet.ngo\/?p=6201"},"modified":"2025-11-17T11:58:28","modified_gmt":"2025-11-17T05:58:28","slug":"central-asia-unites-to-advance-media-and-information-literacy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/medianet.ngo\/en\/archives\/6201","title":{"rendered":"Central Asia Unites to Advance Media and Information Literacy"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>On <strong>30 October 2025<\/strong>, Almaty hosted the regional forum <strong>\u201cMIL Bridge Central Asia: Regional Solutions for Global Challenges in Media and Information Literacy\u201d<\/strong>, organized by <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.unesco.org\/en\/fieldoffice\/almaty\">UNESCO Regional Office in Almaty<\/a><\/strong> and <a href=\"https:\/\/medianet.ngo\/en\"><strong>MediaNet<\/strong> <strong>International Center for Journalism<\/strong><\/a>.<br>The event was held in conjunction with the <strong>Global Media and Information Literacy Week<\/strong>, celebrated worldwide at the end of October each year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The forum brought together 35 experts, researchers, journalists, and media trainers from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan to exchange experiences, present national initiatives, and discuss ways to promote Media and information literacy (MIL) across the region.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Opening remarks were delivered by&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li>Amir Piric, Director of UNESCO Regional Office in Almaty;&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Adeline Hulin, Head of MIL Unit at UNESCO Headquarters; and&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Adil Jalilov, Director of MediaNet International Center for Journalism.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Speakers emphasized the importance of strengthening regional cooperation in Central Asia to build a sustainable digital ecosystem grounded in ethics, critical thinking, and responsibility.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Forum Sessions: From Experience to Joint Solutions<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/5pfcUsOK-vs?si=aoWlv94r4LvVbUEB\">The first session<\/a>, moderated by Igor Brattsev (Kazakhstan), focused on sustainable approaches to MIL development. Speakers from Uzbekistan, Pakistan, Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Kazakhstan presented national programs and strategies integrating MIL into educational and governmental frameworks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/SHY8EBomcaM?si=7QI2rgNKtHlfiMFU\">The second session<\/a>, moderated by Rustam Gulov (Tajikistan), explored contemporary challenges in promoting MIL among youth and combating disinformation on social media. Highlighted initiatives included Social Media 4 Peace, fact-checking development, and the introduction of MIL as a cross-cutting competence in education standards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/x8Cvskx1wms?si=pDUaFp8dfJcoa3U7\">The third session<\/a>, moderated by Dilfuza Mirzakhmedova (Uzbekistan), showcased innovative tools and projects advancing MIL, such as the MILEE App, the Mediamap.kg interactive platform, the RasInfo analytical project, and a study of Uzbekistan\u2019s digital environment.<br>Participants also noted with interest Alton Grizzle\u2019s (UNESCO) presentation on the \u201cMIL Cities\u201d initiative aimed at developing local MIL ecosystems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Recommendations of the MIL Bridge Central Asia Forum<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>During the final group session, facilitated by Alyona Blinova (Kazakhstan), participants developed joint recommendations to enhance regional cooperation and strengthen media and information literacy across Central Asia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>1. Building a Regional MIL and AI Ecosystem<\/strong><strong><br><\/strong>\u2013 Develop a joint strategy on MIL, digital ethics, and artificial intelligence;<br>\u2013 Promote a shared understanding of MIL and AI as interconnected pillars of digital competence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>2. Regional Network and Continuous Dialogue<\/strong><strong><br><\/strong>\u2013 Establish a regional chapter of the Global Media and Information Literacy Alliance and a professional network of experts;<br>\u2013 Hold annual MIL Bridge Forums and thematic meetings;<br>\u2013 Create an online platform for sharing resources, research, and data.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>3. Institutionalizing Cooperation<\/strong><strong><br><\/strong>\u2013 Conclude a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the countries of the region;<br>\u2013 Designate national coordinators for MIL within government structures and establish a system for regular monitoring of progress and implementation of decisions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>4. Cross-Sectoral Coordination<\/strong><strong><br><\/strong>\u2013 Strengthen cooperation among governments, media, educational institutions, and NGOs;<br>\u2013 Create intersectoral councils, working groups, and research laboratories on MIL and digital ethics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>5. Education and Capacity Building<\/strong><strong><br><\/strong>\u2013 Integrate MIL and AI literacy into educational standards;<br>\u2013 Train teachers as mediators of digital culture;<br>\u2013 Foster international exchanges and new professions that combine technology, ethics, and critical thinking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>6. National and Regional Initiatives<\/strong><strong><br><\/strong>\u2013 Develop a regional catalog of MIL and digital ethics projects;<br>\u2013 Expand youth, journalist, and content creator exchange programs;<br>\u2013 Support grant and fellowship schemes with international partners and donors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>7. Responsible Digital Development<\/strong><strong><br><\/strong>\u2013 Encourage fact-checking across all formats, including AI-generated content;<br>\u2013 Promote awareness campaigns, festivals, and digital literacy hubs;<br>\u2013 Advance a human-centered and inclusive approach to technology.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In closing, participants emphasized the need to develop a <strong>regional MIL strategy<\/strong> uniting governments, educational institutions, media, and civil society.<br>Organizers noted that <strong>MIL Bridge Central Asia<\/strong> became not only a platform for sharing experiences but also an important step toward building a unified regional space for responsible digital development.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>The forum was organized by the UNESCO Regional Office in Almaty and the International Center for Journalism MediaNet as part of the Global Media and Information Literacy Week (Global MIL Week 2025).<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>On 30 October 2025, Almaty hosted the regional forum \u201cMIL Bridge Central Asia: Regional Solutions for Global Challenges in Media and Information Literacy\u201d, organized by UNESCO Regional Office in Almaty and MediaNet International Center for Journalism.The event was held in conjunction with the Global Media and Information Literacy Week, celebrated worldwide at the end of &hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":6196,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_eternelmeta_header_display":true,"_eternelmeta_header_style":"style-one","_eternelmeta_header_border":true,"_eternelmeta_header_main_nav":true,"_eternelmeta_header_main_nav_pos":"right","_eternelmeta_header_main_nav_light":false,"_eternelmeta_header_sec_nav":true,"_eternelmeta_header_sec_nav_light":false,"_eternelmeta_header_sec_logo":false,"_eternelmeta_header_bg":"light","_eternelmeta_header_cursor_color":false,"_eternelmeta_header_sticky":true,"_eternelmeta_header_search_icon_display":false,"_eternelmeta_header_search_icon_light":false,"_eternelmeta_header_woo_cart_display":false,"_eternelmeta_header_woo_icon_light":false,"_eternelmeta_header_sticky_style":"style-one","_eternelmeta_header_sticky_border":true,"_eternelmeta_header_sticky_main_nav":true,"_eternelmeta_header_sticky_main_nav_pos":"right","_eternelmeta_header_sticky_main_nav_light":false,"_eternelmeta_header_sticky_sec_nav":true,"_eternelmeta_header_sticky_sec_nav_light":false,"_eternelmeta_header_sticky_sec_logo":false,"_eternelmeta_header_sticky_bg":"light","_eternelmeta_header_sticky_cursor_color":false,"_eternelmeta_header_sticky_search_icon_display":false,"_eternelmeta_header_sticky_search_icon_light":false,"_eternelmeta_header_sticky_woo_cart_display":false,"_eternelmeta_header_sticky_woo_icon_light":false,"_eternelmeta_footer_widget":true,"_eternelmeta_footer_dark_mode":false,"_eternelmeta_footer_cursor_color":false,"_eternelmeta_footer_info":true,"_eternelmeta_footer_border":true,"_eternelmeta_footer_fixed":false,"_eternelmeta_main_cont_padding_top":90,"_eternelmeta_main_cont_padding_bot":104,"_eternelmeta_cursor_circle_light":false,"_eternelmeta_post_title_visibility":true,"_eternelmeta_post_title_alignment":"ta-l","_eternelmeta_post_layout":"","_eternelmeta_post_static_id":0,"_eternelmeta_post_loader":false,"_eternelmeta_post_title_color":"#1f1f1f","_eternelmeta_post_bg_color":"#f2f2f2","_eternelmeta_post_cat_visibility":true,"_eternelmeta_post_date_visibility":true,"_eternelmeta_post_meta_feat_image":true,"_eternelmeta_post_tag_visibility":true,"_eternelmeta_post_cont_padding_top":150,"_eternelmeta_post_cont_padding_bot":120,"_eternelmeta_post_date_color":"#1f1f1f","_eternelmeta_post_cat_color":"#1f1f1f","footnotes":""},"categories":[234],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/medianet.ngo\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6201"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/medianet.ngo\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/medianet.ngo\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/medianet.ngo\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/medianet.ngo\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6201"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/medianet.ngo\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6201\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6210,"href":"https:\/\/medianet.ngo\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6201\/revisions\/6210"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/medianet.ngo\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6196"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/medianet.ngo\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6201"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/medianet.ngo\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6201"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/medianet.ngo\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6201"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}