African Union and United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Champion Information Integrity with New Continental Framework

“In an era of evolving information landscapes, safeguarding information integrity is paramount to fostering trust, informed citizenship, and robust democracies across Africa,” stated Director of information and communication Directorate, Leslie Richer, “This framework marks an important step in equipping our citizens with the critical skills needed to navigate the digital age.”

The Information and Communication Directorate, in a collaborative effort with the UNESCO Liaison Office to the AU and UNECA, are working towards developing the first draft of the AU Continental Framework on Information Integrity, Digital, Media, and Information Literacy (MIL).This Framework will provide essential support to AU Member States to develop and implement comprehensive Information Literacy (MIL) and digital competencies policies and strategies and further empower African citizens to critically assess information, participate effectively in digital spaces, and contribute to inclusive development.

“This collaboration with the African Union on the Continental Framework for Information Integrity and Media and Information Literacy (MIL) is a crucial step forward. UNESCO firmly believes that empowering African citizens with these essential skills is key to promoting informed civic engagement, countering disinformation and misinformation, and driving an inclusive and equitable digital transformation across the continent. Rita Bissoonauth, Director of UNESCO Liaison Office to AU, ECA and Representative to Ethiopia.

The development of this inaugural draft framework is guided by key continental and international recommendations and decisions, including:

• The  Continental AI Strategy, which was endorsed by the African Union Executive Council during its 45th Ordinary Session in Accra, Ghana, on July 18-19, 2024, with particular focus on its recommendations pertaining to responsible AI development and deployment to ensure the integrity of Information (pages 50-51).
• The G20 Maceió Ministerial Declaration on Digital Inclusion for All, emphasizing the global commitment to equitable access and digital literacy.
• Relevant Decisions adopted by the Peace and Security Council (PSC) of the African Union (AU) at its 1214th meeting (open session) held on June 13, 2024, and its 1230th meeting (Open Session) on September 2, 2024, underlining the nexus between information integrity, digital literacy, peace, and security.

Following the completion of this initial draft, a six-month regional consultation process with stakeholders will commence. This extensive consultation phase ensures comprehensive feedback and broad buy-in before the framework is presented for approval to the Communication and ICT Ministers and the Sixth Ordinary Session of the Specialized Technical Committee on Communication and ICT (CCICT-6), to be held 3rd – 6th November 2025 in Addis Ababa.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of African Union (AU).