UNESCO Chair at ESCS joins Global Media and Information Literacy Week 2026

Every year, from 24 to 31 October, UNESCO celebrates the Global Media and Information Literacy Week (Global MIL Week), an initiative that seeks to mobilise social actors around the world to raise awareness to the importance of media and information literacy, broaden countries’ engagement and celebrate the progress made in this field.

This year, the theme of Global MIL Week is “We All Play a Part – Media and Information Literacy for the People”, reminding us that we all have a role to play in building healthier information and communication environments.

The UNESCO Chair of Communication, Media and Information Literacy and Citizenship (ESCS-UPL/LIACOM) is joining this celebration with a programme highlighting media literacy initiatives promoted by the Chair and its partners throughout the week.

The programme showcases different ways of promoting media literacy and engaging diverse audiences, including reflecting on the role of the media and the importance of critical thinking, providing professional MIL training, sharing experiences within national and international academic networks and creating spaces for people to come together around reading and visual journalism.

Explore the full programme below.

UNESCO Global MIL Week calls on all sectors of society — policymakers, educators, researchers, journalists, young people, digital content creators, regulators, families, civil society organisations and other stakeholders — to help strengthen a democratic public sphere that is better informed, pluralistic and participatory.

This year, the Global MIL Week adopts a decentralised approach, highlighting initiatives organised by UNESCO and its partners around the world.

All individuals and organisations working to promote MIL are invited to take part in and contribute to this global movement by organising and registering their activities — workshops, conferences, debates, exhibitions, training sessions, campaigns and other initiatives — using the form available here.

Through this worldwide mobilisation, UNESCO aims to strengthen international cooperation and demonstrate how collective action can drive the promotion of media and information literacy.

 

Programme of the UNESCO Chair of Communication, Media and Information Literacy and Citizenship
for Global MIL Week 2026

26 October, Monday

“Communication, Media Literacy and Citizenship: Contributions of a UNESCO Chair”

Tatiana Nunes, UNESCO Chair member, lecturer at ESCS and researcher at LIACOM.

Opening session of Fernando Pessoa University’s Global Media and Information Literacy Week 2026.

 

LIDERA Session – Reading Daily Information to Choose, Reflect and Act

Training session for teacher-librarians and librarians across the country. Topic: “Journalism: What It Is and What It Is Not”.

 

27 October, Tuesday

Roundtable Discussion: “Rebuilding Trust in the Media through Critical Thinking and Source Evaluation”

Maria José Mata, UNESCO Chair member, lecturer at ESCS and researcher at LIACOM.

Part of a series of discussions organised by the FAMA project – Empowering Informed Citizens, Empowering European Democracies.

 

Conference: “The Media, Journalism and Europe”

Speakers: António Assis Teixeira (TVI European correspondent), Carla Martins (member of the Regulatory Council of ERC – the Portuguese Media Regulatory Authority) and Rebecca Abecassis (journalist and editor of European programmes at RTP).

  • 18:00 | ESCS, Vítor Macieira Auditorium
  • Moderated by Fernando Peixinho and Inês Valente, third-year students on the Journalism degree programme
  • Open to the entire academic community
  • Organised as part of ESCS’s Media Systems course unit
  • More information: https://www.escs.ipl.pt/eventos/os-media-o-jornalismo-e-europa

 

28 October, Wednesday

“From MIL to Civic Engagement: Communication Strategies for Citizen Empowerment within UNESCO Chairs”

Fernanda Bonacho, holder of the UNESCO Chair, lecturer at ESCS and researcher at LIACOM.

 

Seminar: “Innovating to Achieve Financial Sustainability in Journalism: Preliminary Findings on Independent Digital News Outlets”

First LIACOM Seminar on Communication and Media Research.

 

29 October, Thursday

U!READ: “Bring a Book! Inspired by U!REKA Values”

First session of the U!REKA Book Club.

 

30 October, Friday

Open Class: “New languages in visual journalism”

Reinaldo Rodrigues

  • 08:00–11:00 | ESCS, Room 1P9
  • Open to the entire community
  • Organised by the Visual Journalism course unit of ESCS’s Journalism degree programme