Why In the News?
The recent election of the first Global Board of the UNESCO Media and Information Literacy (MIL) Alliance marks a significant milestone in the governance and strategic development of the global network.
What is the MIL Alliance?
- Definition: A UNESCO-coordinated global network of experts and organizations dedicated to advancing media literacy.
- Primary Mandate: Equipping societies to identify and counter disinformation, misinformation, and hate speech.
- Composition: Over 300 organizations and 180 experts spanning 100+ countries.
Evolutionary Timeline
- Inception (2013): Established at the Global Forum for Partnerships on MIL in Abuja, Nigeria.
- Revitalization: In 2025, the Alliance was formally relaunched during Global MIL Week through the Cartagena Declaration and a renewed strategic action plan.
- Institutional Milestone: Transitioned to a structured governance model with the election of its first-ever Global Board.
Strategic Objectives
- Societal Resilience: Building public capacity to navigate complex digital information ecosystems.
- Policy Leadership: Empowering the MIL community to influence global, regional, and national policy frameworks.
- Standard Setting: Shaping international norms and strategies regarding information integrity.
Operational Functions
- Governance & Coordination: Acts as the central decision-making body to ensure inclusive and coherent regional collaboration.
- Knowledge Exchange: Facilitates the global sharing of research, pedagogical tools, and best practices.
- Capacity Building: Strengthens institutional responses to emerging media risks and digital threats.
- Platform Management: Oversees the digital MIL Alliance platform to ensure it remains user-centric and technologically relevant.
- Accountability: Manages structured growth through new chapters while maintaining transparency via annual monitoring and reporting.
With respect to the institutional history of the UNESCO Media and Information Literacy (MIL) Alliance, consider the following statements:
I. The Alliance was originally established during a Global Forum in Nigeria in 2013.
II. The MIL Alliance aims to promote global exchange of knowledge and enable the MIL community to influence policy development.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
(a) I only
(b) II only
(c) Both I and II
(d) Neither I nor II
Answer: (c)
Explanation:
Statement I is correct: The MIL Alliance was founded in 2013 at the Global Forum for Partnerships on Media and Information Literacy held in Abuja, Nigeria.
Statement II is correct: The MIL Alliance aims to promote global knowledge exchange, strengthen policy engagement, foster cooperation at all levels, and support MIL-related research.
Practice Today’s MCQs
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