RADIO WEEK LEARNING CONFERENCE
WORLD RADIO DAY 2018: Radio and Sports
13th-15th February 2018, Imperial Royal Hotel, Kampala, Republic of Uganda
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), in partnership with Radio Week Learning Conference, DW Akademie, and with support by the Government of Sweden, are pleased to inform the general public and the media fraternity in particular, that Uganda will be joining the rest of the world to celebrate the World Radio Day 2018. World Radio Day is a global event that is marked on the 13th of February every year. Following a UNESCO proposal, it was endorsed by the United Nations General Assembly in December 2012 to coincide with the anniversary of the establishment of the United Nations Radio in 1946. This day is celebrated to raise awareness of the importance of radio and how it positively impacts on millions of lives every day. It is also a day to celebrate radio as a medium of communication, to improve international cooperation among broadcasters and to encourage major networks and community radio alike to promote access to information and freedom of expression.
The theme for the 2018 edition of World Radio Day is Radio and Sports. It is a call on radio stations to showcase the beauty of sports in all of its diversity; to connect audiences to the cultural heritage of sports; to celebrate grassroots sport activities which anchor citizens in their communities; and to inspire stories that challenge gender stereotypes by covering in equal measure both men's and women's sporting events. In Uganda, different activities have been lined up to celebrate this day including broadcasting radio jingles to raise awareness of the day, as well as press conference at the Imperial Royal Hotel in Kampala on the 13 February. World Radio Day 2018 will also coincide with the Radio Week Learning Conference, from 13 to 15 February 2018 where media stakeholders will gather at the Imperial Royal Hotel for three days including representatives from community radio stations in Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda.
The event will include several panel discussions and presentations on contemporary issues related to the medium of radio and challenges existing at the global, regional and national level. A series of international and local media/ radio experts and practitioners will participate. In addition to the Radio Week Learning Conference and the main World Radio Day event on 13 February, DW Akademie together with local partner organizations, will deliver various practical training sessions for radio practitioners over three days including sessions on participatory youth radio formats, digital safety, and amplifying local voices through community media. The event will conclude with Radio Industry Award given on 15 February.
