On October 24, the conference «Resilient Together: Developing Media Literacy in Ukraine» was held in Kyiv. The event took place as part of UNESCO’s Global Media and Information Literacy Week, celebrated worldwide from October 24 to 31, 2024. The main goal of the conference was to share experiences, improve approaches to media literacy development, and strengthen Ukrainians’ resilience to disinformation. The event was supported by the Ministry of Culture and Strategic Communications, the national media literacy project «Filter», in collaboration with the Center for Democracy and Rule of Law, UNESCO, UNDP in Ukraine and funded by the Government of Japan, and in partnership with the OSCE Support Program for Ukraine.
In his video address to the conference participants, the Minister of Culture and Strategic Communications of Ukraine, Mykola Tochytskyi, expressed gratitude to all those who work daily to strengthen the country’s information resilience, noting that human capital is the foundation for the state’s security, prosperity, science, and culture.
«Media literacy today is not only a shield against manipulation. It is also our armor against russian historical myths, against attempts to impose national inferiority and to diminish the value of Ukrainian culture. Therefore, the Ministry of Culture and Strategic Communications of Ukraine continues to make media literacy one of its key priorities. Together with our national media literacy project «Filter», we have made significant strides to ensure that more Ukrainians gain the skills of critical thinking and understanding the impact of information on their lives. Our initiatives, which my colleagues will present today, are becoming traditions that unite hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians,» the Minister stated.
The main co-organizers of the conference were UNESCO and UNDP in Ukraine, who consistently support the development of media literacy in Ukrainian society.
The UNDP Resident Representative in Ukraine, Jaco Cilliers, emphasized the importance of uniting efforts to develop media literacy among Ukrainians: “In times of war, when disinformation becomes one of the main challenges to the resilience of the population, it is crucial to combine efforts to promote media literacy among Ukrainians. UNDP in Ukraine consistently supports the Ministry of Culture and Strategic Communications of Ukraine in this regard. Together, we are working to strengthen strategic and crisis communications, to develop the media literacy of the population, and to counter disinformation”.
UNESCO Representative for Culture in Ukraine, Stefanie Grüssienger, welcomed the start of Global Media and Information Literacy Week and mentioned the ‘Detector Media’ study: «Today in Ukraine, more than ever, it is essential to distinguish facts from opinions and critically assess both text and images. This was highlighted in the 2023 Media Literacy Index study conducted by the ‘Detector Media’, which showed that the share of the audience with an above-average level of media literacy decreased by 5% in 2023 compared to the previous year. Therefore, since the beginning of this year, UNESCO has intensified its efforts to support the development of media and information literacy in Ukraine».
The opening of the conference was also attended by Olha Herasymiuk, Chair of the National Television and Radio Broadcasting Council of Ukraine, and Olesia Kholopik, Director of the Center for Democracy and Rule of Law (CEDEM). They expressed gratitude to all partners, international institutions, organizations, and countries for their support in developing media literacy in Ukraine.
The Head of the national media literacy project «Filter» at the Ministry of Culture and Strategic Communications of Ukraine, Olha Kravchenko, expressed gratitude to everyone who contributed to the organization, support, and participation in the conference «Resilient Together: Developing Media Literacy in Ukraine»: «This event is a step forward in our joint work to strengthen media literacy in Ukraine. Thanks to the efforts of all participants, we have created a platform for exchanging ideas and experiences that will help to enhance society’s resilience to disinformation. I am sincerely grateful to everyone who joined this important dialogue and am confident that together we will make the information space safer and more transparent».
Throughout the conference, participants discussed prospects for promoting media literacy, new methods for teaching critical thinking, the role of international partners in protecting the information space, and further collaboration to strengthen Ukrainian resilience.
More details about the discussions among conference participants can be found in the publication on the Ministry of Culture and Strategic Communications’ website.
