UNESCO

When an Egyptian court fined former president Hosni Mubarak and two aides a total of 90 million dollars for cutting mobile and Internet services during protests that led to his ouster, it indicated the value placed on communication services in this Arab country.

The 18-day uprising that toppled Mubarak in February 2011 was largely organised by groups creatively using social networking websites like Facebook and Internet radio. The fines were handed down three months later.

Last February Sweden, through the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida), concluded an agreement under which 30 million Swedish Kronor (around US$4.5 million) will be donated to UNESCO to support its activities in the field of community media, aiming at empowering poor populations, especially women and girls, to exercise freedom of expression and opinion, and be heard in the public debate.

At the end of last year, UNESCO and Al Jazeera Satellite Network have signed an agreement to promote freedom of expression and access to information in the Arab world. UNESCO’s Director-General Irina Bokova and Al Jazeera’s Director General, Wadah Khanfar, signed the Memorandum of Understanding in Doha (Qatar) during Ms Bokova’s official visit to the country.