THE government and the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) on Saturday signed Country Cooperation Strategy (CCS) aimed at advancing information as a public good in the country.
The signing of the CCS affirms the cooperation between Tanzania and UNESCO within the UN Cooperation Framework related to building knowledge societies.
Speaking earlier, Minister for Information, Communication and Information Technology, Mr Nape Nnauye, remarked that investing in information, communication and information technology is among five key priorities in advancing media for sustainable development in Tanzania.
"I am pleased that we are signing the first cooperation strategy with the UNESCO for advancing information as a public good," Mr Nape said.
Minister Nape also expressed hopes that more partnerships would be entered with intent to strengthen the mobilization of resources for free and independent media as well as promoting critical thinking and informed societies.
"This important initiative also aims to empower citizens to address issues of local concern and make informed decisions about their daily lives, which is essential to leaving no one behind," he stressed.
For his part, UNESCO's Officer in Charge in Tanzania, Mr Michel Toto, said the strategy will guide the organisation's work in the communication and information Programme based on long-term vision for UNESCO's technical cooperation to respond effectively to Tanzania's development needs, priorities and aspirations.
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"It provides a strategic framework for the engagement with the Tanzanian government and other UN agencies, development partners, research and academia, the private sector and civil society organisations within the UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (UNSDCF)," explained Mr Toto.
The UNESCO Country Cooperation Strategy (2022-2027) aims to support Tanzania in addressing the challenges, improving monitoring and reporting and accelerating actions towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) targets related to communication and information.
The strategy will focus on five strategic priority areas identified during consultation with key stakeholders, which are media viability and independence, human capital development, the legal and policy environment for the media, including working conditions, the safety and security of journalists, media and information literacy and digital citizenship.
