Stakeholders

UNESCO

UNESCO is the UN specialized agency with the mandate to promote "the free flow of ideas by word and image", and to nurture freedom of expression, media development, and access to information. It provides governments with technical advice on legal, regulatory, policy and other critical issues, and educates and builds capacities of journalists, media professionals and institutions.

UNESCO has a long-standing experience of promoting freedom of expression and media development in transitional countries, particularly in South East Europe and Turkey. In this respect, UNESCO contributed to the Guidelines for EU support to media freedom and integrity in enlargement countries 2014-2020.

From 2009 until 2011, UNESCO implemented the project "Alignment to International Standards in the Media Sector of South East European countries". From 2013 to 2015, a second project was implemented under the title "Media Accountability in South East Europe". In January 2016, the project "Building Trust in Media in South East Europe and Turkey " was launched, with the aim of supporting media accountability mechanisms, internal governance of media entities and media and information literacy in EU candidate and potential candidate countries with financial support of the European Commission, DG Near.

Union of Bulgarian Journalists (UBJ)

The Union of Bulgarian Journalists (UBJ) is the largest journalists' organization in Bulgaria. It is a voluntary association of 4500 journalists from all over the country who want to protect their own professional, social and trade union rights and interests. The main goals of UBJ are as follows: the promotion of professional journalism in the Bulgarian society; the adherence to professional standards and ethics; the protection of media freedom and independent press; the expression of the common interests of Bulgarian journalists to public authorities; the development of international cooperation in the field of professional journalism.

Union of Cyprus Journalists

The Union of Cyprus Journalists was founded in 1960 and has now 560 members comprising "all the professional journalists working in the country" as proudly stated in its webpage.

The Union aims at strengthening the freedom of the press and safeguarding independent journalism. It is an active member of the European Federation of Journalists.

Professional journalists with at least six months service are eligible to join the Union, regardless of ethnic origin, race and religion.

Union of Publishers in Bulgaria

Joined by 18 publishing houses producing over 40 printed products, the Union of Publishers in Bulgaria is an independent, non-governmental association united by the principles of defending the freedom of the press, the independence of journalists and the encouragement of their work so that society is objectively informed. The main goals of the Union are: to defend freedom of speech and the independence of the Bulgarian print media; to contribute for the improvement of the quality of Bulgarian press; to upgrade the public prestige of print media; to establish relations of fair competition among its members; to help in solving economic issues of common interest of the newspaper publishers; to mantain mutual trust among its members.

United Nations Commission on Human Rights

The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) is the principal human rights official of the United Nations and represents the world's commitment to universal ideals of human dignity. OHCHR’s thematic priorities are strengthening international human rights mechanisms; enhancing equality and countering discrimination; combating impunity and strengthening accountability and the rule of law; integrating human rights in development and in the economic sphere; widening the democratic space; and early warning and protection of human rights in situations of conflict, violence and insecurity.

The Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression is an independent expert appointed by the Human Rights Council to examine and report back on a country situation or a specific human rights theme.

Università degli Studi di Perugia (UNIPG)

Founded in 1308, the Università degli Studi di Perugia is one of the oldest universities in Italy and one of the most accredited, offering a wide variety of courses in all fields of education. Among them, a master degree in Public, Digital and Business Communication .

Universität Wien (University of Vienna)

The Media Governance and Industries Research Lab of the University of Vienna studies the processes of and challenges posed by governance of communication processes and the media in relation to Democracy, Citizenship and Human Rights. Its work is both theory and practice driven and it aims to bridge academic systematic enquiry and theory together with applicability and solution driven research.

USC Lear Center - Media Impact Project

The Media Impact Project is a hub for collecting, developing and sharing approaches for measuring the impact of media. Based at the USC Annenberg Norman Lear Center, it seeks to better understand the role that media plays in changing knowledge, attitudes and behavior among individuals and communities.

Vita Activa

Vita Activa works as a helpline and a solutions laboratory for women journalists, activists and women’s rights defenders who are facing online violence and want to change the ways they face and combat perpetrators and attacks. Responders trained in psychological first aid, conflict resolution and strategic thinking work with women journalists who have faced harassment to build solutions tailored to their cases.

Vita Activa also provides practical support for women and LGBTIQ+ journalists, activists and gender, land and labor rights, and freedom of expression defenders.

VOX-Pol

VOX-Pol is an academic research network funded by the Seventh Framework Programme of the European Union and focused on the prevalence, contours, functions, and impacts of violent online political extremism and responses to it.