| February 13 is the annual celebration of World Radio Day as proclaimed by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
On the first celebration of World Radio Day in 2012, former UN Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples James Anaya emphasized the importance of community radio for the world’s Indigenous Peoples: “Radio has been a fundamental means for Indigenous Peoples to maintain their languages and to exercise and defend their rights. As recognized by the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, Article 16, 1. Indigenous peoples have the right to establish their own media in their own languages and access to all other non-Indigenous media without discrimination. 2. States shall take effective measures to ensure that the media duly reflect indigenous cultural diversity. States, without prejudice to ensuring full freedom of expression, should encourage privately owned media to adequately reflect indigenous cultural diversity.”
Cultural Survival is working hard to make Article 16 a reality for Indigenous communities.On World Radio Day 2020, UNESCO calls on radio stations to uphold diversity, both in their newsroom and on the airwaves.
This edition of World Radio Day is divided into three main sub-themes:
- Advocating for pluralism in radio, including a mix of public, private and community broadcasters;
- Encouraging representation in the newsroom, with teams comprised of diverse society groups;
- Promoting a diversity of editorial content and program types reflecting the variety of the audiences.
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