The UNESCO programme for the biennium of 2006-2007 emphasizes the important role that communication and information play in building effective knowledge societies. It recognizes that free flow of information, opinion and knowledge is essential for empowering people and ensuring their participation.

The two pillars of the programme areas are:

i) Empowering people through access to information and knowledge with special emphasis on freedom of expression

ii) Promoting communication development and ICTs for education, science and Culture.


Under the regular programme UNESCO Maputo is providing training for community media professionals on local content production, media legislation and preventive/mitigative reporting on natural disaster/post disaster situations. And the office is producing digital content for the CMCs, in Portuguese and local languages.

UNESCO Maputo  is also executing two major extra budgetary communication projects:

The Media Development Project: “Strengthening Democracy and Governance Through Development
of the Media in Mozambique” started in 1998 and has among others established eight community radios, three communications centers and provided training to more than 500 journalists. more

The Community Multimedia Centre Scale-up Initiative started in 2004, with the intermediate goal of establishing 50 Community Multimedia Centers (CMCs) in Mozambique, taking advantage of synergies between radio and ICT tools to contribute to local/rural development, improving access to information and education, providing opportunities for communications, information exchange and networking among communities. more

The UNESCO Maputo communications programme is in line with the Millennium Development Goals and the PARPA II (Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper) of the Government of Mozambique, which highlights the importance of communication in the fight against poverty. It is recognized that access to information and communication can contribute to the fight against poverty and the multiple problems related to lack of education, poor income opportunities, diseases such as HIV/AIDS and malaria, degradation of the environment, limited civic participation and vulnerability of rural communities in Mozambique.

NEWS
29 May 2006: Evaluation Report appraises UNESCO's Community Multimedia Centre Initiative more

31 October – 04 November 2005: Community Radio Forum confirms a strong common vision at second national conference more

5 September 2005: Six scale-up CMCs off the ground in Mozambique more