Cambodia is finalising a key policy document to promote media, information and digital literacy across the government and all sectors of society. UNESCO
Forty-one representatives from across all sectors of Cambodian society and government provided input and validated the National Media, Information and Digital Literacy (MIDL) Competency Framework being developed by UNESCO in collaboration with the Ministry of Post and Telecommunications.
UNESCO held a two-day consultation workshop in Phnom Penh on June 20-21 as the final step in an inclusive and participatory process that began in 2021.
Cambodia is finalising a key policy document to promote media, information and digital literacy across the government and all sectors of society.
The culmination of this process was the workshop, which included representatives from ministries, CSOs, the media, the private sector and academic institutions, as well as organisations for persons with disabilities and indigenous people, UNESCO said on June 21.
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They reviewed the draft MIDL Competency Framework, provided inputs, and discussed the application and implementation of the framework to build the capacities of Cambodian citizens to become media, information and digital literate.
E Sophea, undersecretary of state of the Ministry of Post and Telecommunications, said that in order to build a digital Cambodia, it was necessary to build a society that was media, information and digital literate.
“An important step to achieving this goal is to develop and implement a National MIDL framework and strategy which is at the core of the Cambodian government’s digital policy framework to strengthen the Kingdom’s potential to build a vibrant digital economy and society,” Sophea said.
Sardar Umar Alam, UNESCO representative to Cambodia, said: “The common competency framework we are assisting in developing is meant to guide the efforts of all stakeholders across Cambodian society in promoting media information and digital literacy towards a set of common goals.
“These goals are in line with the [UN Sustainable Development Goals], the priorities of the Cambodian government in its efforts in digital transformation and the fulfilment of human rights for everyone.”
Camilla Ottosson, Minister Counsellor and Head of the Swedish Embassy Section Office in Phnom Penh, highlighted the importance of the development of the MIDL framework.
It comes as part of the “Strengthening Media Development and Freedom of Expression in Cambodia” project, which UNESCO is implementing with financial support from the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA).
“The process of developing the competency framework is an achievement in itself, as it provides the space to have important discussions between all sectors, to define what kind of digital society does Cambodia want to become,” Ottosson said.
