A two-day multi-stakeholder conference on Media and Information Literacy (MIL) for prevention of violent extremism organized by United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in collaboration with IFAP focal point Pakistan Scientific and Technological information Centre (PASTIC) and Media Matters for Democracy held at Ramada, Islamabad on 17-18 September, 2019. Panel discussions, consultative workshops and expert talks were part of this event.

UNESCO Representative for Pakistan Ms. Vibeke Jensen said in her welcome speech briefed the participants about UN General’s strategy and plan of action on hate speech and UNESCO’s guidelines on MIL for policy makers & teachers. She said the many valuable suggestions from the participants of the conference will provide a good starting point and direction to prevent violent extremism in Pakistan”.

Director General PASTIC, Prof Dr. Muhammad Akram Shaikh the chair of the national committee, UNESCO Information for ALL Programme (IFAP), presented an overview of the IFAP and PASTIC. He said the conference intends to be a stepping stone for developing policies and launching initiatives related to media and information literacy in Pakistan.

Shafqat Mahmood, Federal Minister for education and Professional Training was the Chief guest at the conference. In his keynote address, he said that the formal education system must teach Pakistani youth and children for effective and ethical use of digital media and new information technologies. He mentioned MIL can develop critical thinking skills and respect for cultural diversity among young Pakistanis.

In a consultative workshop, Participants in four working groups presented goals, strategies and action plans for mainstreaming MIL in education and other policy frameworks in Pakistan. They also identified commitments and responsibilities for various stakeholders including government departments.

The participants agreed that stakeholders from the education system can play a critical role for confronting violent extremism. They recommended that MIL skills must be included in the curriculum at various levels of education to support value-based learning to cope with emerging threat of radicalization.

The conference was attended by government officials, civil society representatives, members of the academia and media professionals from across the country.