On December 1, extraordinary sessions of the Intergovernmental Councils of the Information for All Program (IFAP) and the International Program for the Development of Communication (IPDC) were held at UNESCO headquarters in Paris, France. The agenda included the election of members of the Bureau of the governing bodies of these programs. Olha Herasymiuk, Chair of the National Council, took part in the meetings.
According to Olha Herasymiuk, during the formation of the Bureau, there was a rotation of the rapporteur: instead of the representative of Russia, the candidacy of the Netherlands was agreed. As a result of the elections, Takehiro Kano, Permanent Representative of Japan to UNESCO, became President of the IPDC Intergovernmental Council, and Latvia received the position of Vice-Chair.
Following the renewal of the governing bodies, at the invitation of Denmark, which initiated the interregional discussion, Olha Herasymiuk presented her vision of the key priorities of the IPDC for the next period of work. The Chair of the National Council reiterated the importance of strengthening national mechanisms for implementing the program.
“Ukraine has established a National Committee for Cooperation with UNESCO’s International Programme for the Development of Communication (IPDC) – an innovative, flexible model that brings together media professionals, experts, and institutions.”
The Chair of the media regulator proposed that partners identify as key priorities of the International Program for the Development of Communication expanding support for journalists and media working in areas of risk and armed conflict.
“This includes operational security mechanisms, resources for displaced editorial offices, training for working in high-risk environments, and support for the long-term sustainability of the media.”
Olha Herasymiuk also drew attention to the need to improve the work of the UNESCO Observatory of Killed Journalists. (The Observatory provides updated information on the killings of journalists since 1993 and the judicial status of convicted cases since 2006.) According to the Chair of the National Council, Ukraine’s experience shows that requests for updates on court proceedings must take into account the real situation in territories that are not under state control, and data collection must be based on legal clarity and accurate context.
Elections of members of the IFAP Governing Bodies
On December 1, elections to the Bureau were held during an extraordinary session of the IFAP Intergovernmental Council. As a result, Ukraine was elected Vice-Chair of the Intergovernmental Council for the first time. This decision significantly strengthens our country’s position both in IFAP activities and in UNESCO’s work in general.
It should be recalled that, following the 43rd session of the UNESCO General Conference, a new composition of the Intergovernmental Councils of the Information for All Programme (IFAP) and the International Programme for the Development of Communication (IPDC) was formed, which created the conditions for the renewal of the governing bodies during the current extraordinary sessions.
For your information, on November 7, at the 43rd session of the UNESCO General Conference, held in Samarkand (Uzbekistan), Ukraine was elected to the UNESCO Executive Board for the period 2025-2029. Russia was eliminated from the race with the lowest result.
