Kyiv, 20 June 2023 – With funding from the Governments of Japan and Germany, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Ukraine is supporting the "Filter" National Media Literacy Project of the Ministry of Culture and Information Policy in developing the National Media Literacy Strategy. The first strategic session took place in Kyiv, marking the beginning of the strategy’s development.

Representatives from central executive authorities, media professionals, and communication experts got together for a comprehensive strategic session. The outcome of this event will be the formation of the National Media Literacy Strategy.

According to Taras Shevchenko, Deputy Minister of Culture and Information Policy of Ukraine for European Integration, the development of the National Media Literacy Strategy is currently a priority focus for the ministry.

"The development of the National Media Literacy Strategy is our responsible course towards building an informed society,” Shevchenko said.

“Awareness, critical thinking, and effective information perception are essential skills that will help Ukrainians distinguish truth from manipulation,” Shevchenko said “Increasing media literacy levels will create a strong defence barrier against misinformation, and foster critical thinking among citizens.”

Valeriia Kovtun, the Head of the “Filter” National Media Literacy Project, ”added that combating disinformation in times of conflict requires comprehensive efforts from governmental institutions, the media environment, and information consumers. 

“The day before the full-scale invasion we gathered experts together for the first time to develop a national media literacy strategy, but in a few hours the entire country woke up to a new reality,” Kovtun said.

“Today, we return to the development of this strategic document, which will serve as a compass for media literacy in the coming years. I’m pleased that together with the UNDP, we conducted a crucial strategic session, involving all stakeholders in the document’s development.”

Christophoros Politis, UNDP Deputy Resident Representative in Ukraine, said that investing in media literacy is one of the most critical components of Ukraine’s information security.

“Misinformation significantly diminish the society’s ability to verify facts and meaningfully engage in the recovery and reconstruction process of Ukraine,” Politis said. “The National Media Literacy Strategy and countering disinformation at the state level will make Ukraine and its citizens more resilient to external psychological influence and, in turn, enhance the population’s safety.”

During the strategic session, the participants, divided into five groups of 4-6 experts each, focused on:

• Identifying challenges and pathways to addressing existing problems.
• Establishing coordination for media literacy development.
• Developing mechanisms for assessing the impact of the strategy.

Over the next two months, the Ministry of Culture and Information Policy’s “Filter” project team, based on the session’s recommendations and conducted research, will develop a draft of the strategy for further discussion. The aim is to finalize the draft National Media Literacy Strategy by the end of 2023.

For media inquiries, please contact: Yuliia Samus, Head of Communications, UNDP Ukraine – yuliia.samus@undp.org