World Radio Day 2025; February13th.

FORUM: “Radio and Climate Change” World Radio Day 2025. This year, we celebrate the many opportunities that radio broadcasting brings for giving prominence to climate change issues. 2025 marks a pivotal year for climate change. In accordance with the Paris Agreement, if humanity is to limit global warming to 1.5°C, the greenhouse gas emissions must peak by that year at the latest, before they begin to fall. While the Paris Agreement takes on capital importance, radio contributes to the achievement of its international objectives by supporting populations in the face of climate change through the dissemination of fact-based information, listeners’ voices, dedicated radio shows … Broadcasters must prioritize the quality and diversity of information sources, as they play a critical role in addressing climate-related issues. To all radio professionals and volunteers, everywhere in the world, UNESCO salutes your daily work and your commitment to the future of our planet, our future. Here are the ways to Celebrate this year celebration: 1. Put more emphasis on facts 2. Review your programming strategy 3. Present realities from elsewhere 4. Inform from an intersectional point of view 5. Start an "On the way to COP30" chronicle 6. Give the audience a say 7. Prepare for the storm 8. Raise the safety awareness of environmental journalists 9. Redouble your efforts to combat disinformation 10. Encourage your audience to listen to the radio critically 11. Strengthen staff competencies in relation to climate change issues 12. Set the tone 13. Green your radio; Follow the conversations with the hashtags: #13February, #WorldRadioDay.

EVENTS: On February 13th, World Radio Day 2025 will be dedicated to “Radio and Climate Change” to support radio stations in their journalistic coverage on this issue. Together, let's prepare the celebration the 14th edition of World Radio Day. panelists will address climate-related issues. This includes dismantling climate skeptics' arguments, investigating greenwashing, understanding ecological economics, and reporting on climate activism and barriers to solutions.The UNESCO and its partners invites the worldwide Radio industry in all its many forms - commercial, public, non-profit – to join in this global celebration of the medium at this special journey. Ahead of World Radio Day, we're celebrating projects where radio is empowering communities on the frontline of climate change.

OPPORTUNITIES: To benefit from the 2025 Opportunities and appear on the UNESCO map please click here. Your radio station will also have the chance to connect with a radio station in another locality or country. Thanks to these collaborations, you will be able to exchange programs, guests, sound archives, and even… consider a longer-term relationship beyond February 13, 2025. Take advantage of this opportunity! Regularly consult the map to discover new radio stations or partners that could match your search…

STATEMENTS: Read the statement of Ms Audrey Azoulay, Director-General of UNESCO, on the occasion of World Radio Day 2025; February 13th.

Get Involved!

1. Put more emphasis on facts

2. Review your programming strategy

3. Present realities from elsewhere

4. Inform from an intersectional point of view

5. Start an On the way to COP30 chronicle

6. Give the audience a say

7. Prepare for the storm

8. Raise the safety awareness of environmental journalists

9. Redouble your efforts to combat disinformation

10.  Encourage your audience to listen to the radio critically

11. Strengthen staff competencies in relation to climate change issues

12. Set the tone

13- Green your radio

World Radio Day 2023; February 13rd.

FORUM: Radio and Peace. On World Radio Day 2023, UNESCO highlights independent radio as a pillar for conflict prevention and peacebuilding.

An armed conflict between countries or groups within a country may also translate into a conflict of media narratives. The narrative can either increase tensions or maintain conditions for peace. In reporting and informing the general public, radio stations shape public opinion and frame a narrative that can influence domestic and international situations and decision-making processes. Increasing radio's journalistic standards and capacity should be considered as an investment in peace.

Follow the conversations with the hashtags: #13February, #WorldRadioDay.

Statement  from Ms Audrey Azoulay, Director-General of UNESCO, on the occasion of World Radio Day 13 February 2023“ Radio and Peace”.

On this World Day we celebrate radio’s power to nurture and build peace.Since it was developed about a century ago, radio has proven to be an exceptional means of communication, debate and exchange – indeed, it is one of the most accessible and widespread types of media.It is these characteristics which explain why UNESCO has particularly relied on radio throughout the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, when it has been necessary to reach children and students who were out of school and especially isolated. Radiohas thus allowed us to establish an effective system of teaching over the airwaves in many countries. In sub-Saharan Africa, for example, where less than a quarter of the population has access to the Internet, radio has enabled the continuity of learning despite the difficulties. Radio is thus very often the medium of last resort. We are seeing this again in Afghanistan, where girls and women have been suddenly and unfairly denied their right to learn, study and teach. In order to respond to this situation, which UNESCO has strongly condemned, our organization has launched, with the European Union, a major programme to support the Afghan media. The objective is to help circulate educational material, as well as material concerning health and safety, and to reach at least six million Afghans directly. Aside from being a technical instrument, the radio also provides a space where democratic debate is fostered and enriched. It is therefore essential to safeguard both the independence and the diversity of what is, in many respects, a genuine modern-day agora. This is why UNESCO, which has made freedom of the press a priority, supports community and independent radio stations around the world.On this day, UNESCO calls on everyone – listeners, radio broadcasters and audiovisualprofessionals – not only to celebrate radio’s potential, but also, and especially, to make greater use of radio as a unique instrument of peace.

UNESCO Director-General.

Radio in Conflict Prevention and Peacebuilding.

Radio is an important player and an essential part of maintenance and transition to peace. Professional radio addresses both the root causes and triggers of conflict, before they potentially explode into violence. It offers an alternative methodology of conflict prevention by clarifying frustrations, or clashes of interest, clearing misunderstandings, and identifying issues of distrust. This can help counter hate, the desire for revenge, or the will to take up arms.

Radio programmers’ varied collaborative techniques also reinforce a culture of dialogue by means of participatory programmes and formats, such as calls-in, talk shows, listeners’ fora, etc., and so give opportunities to discuss - on air and democratically - latent issues, including disagreements.

Professional independent radio, thus, strengthens democracy and provides the foundation for sustainable peace.

UN Peacekeeping Missions support radio stations and radio programmes in many of their host countries. Read more about the impact of UN Peacekeeping radio stations.

AUDIO-PODCATS: On February 13th, Listen to the World Radio Day 2023 audio-podcasts.

Together, let's celebrate the 12th edition of World Radio Day. Here are some ideas on how to celebrate.

World Radio Day 2022; February 13th

FORUM: "Radio and Trust". World Radio Day 2022.

The theme of the 2022 edition of World Radio Day is devoted to "Radio and Trust". Radio continues one of the most trusted and accessible media in the world, according to different international reports.

On the occasion of World Radio Day 2022, UNESCO calls on radio stations to celebrate the Day through three sub-themes:

1. Trust in radio journalism: Produce independent and high-quality content;
2. Trust and accessibility: Take care of your audience;
3. Trust and viability of radio stations: Ensure competitiveness. 

 

Follow the conversation using the hashtag #WorldRadioDay and #13February

STATEMENTS

Statement from Ms. Audrey Azoulay, Director-General of UNESCO, on the occasion of World Radio Day 2022; February 13th.

On this edition of World Radio Day, the theme of which is radio and trust, we are celebrating the independence and reliability of radio. We turn to radio, more than to any other medium, when we need to be informed. For example, in Europe, where fewer than one in five people consider social networks a credible source of information, more than half of all people trust radio.This trust is all the more important under serious circumstances, as radio is the only medium which can reach so many households, especially in the remotest of areas. During a pandemic, radio thus remains one of the surest ways to know what to do, without controversy confusing matters. Radio is often the medium through which learning continues when schools are closed. For example, in sub-Saharan Africa, while three quarters of university students own a radio, only 30% have Internet access at home.However, our trust in radio may be due to something even more profound: where images can be distorted or reproduced to the point of excess, radio establishes a more direct, more intimate relationship between speaker and listener. Of course, this close relationship must be coupled with a guarantee of independence and rigour. Our organization sees to this by promoting reliable and quality information everywhere through support for press freedom and journalists.The best guarantee of radio's independence, however, is the diversity of those who make it and the diversity of their voices. Radio would not inspire such trust if we could not make it our own, regardless of our culture. While television requires more significant resources, radio offers communities, villages and schools an accessible means of sharing their knowledge. UNESCO is encouraging radio projects, for example in Cameroon, where an agreement to support community radio stations was signed in November. For trust is the product not only of a constant effort to be independent, but also of better representation of diversity in terms of language, gender and ideas. Many radio stations have already taken up these issues; whatever their audience ratings, they will have UNESCO's solid support. This February 13, let us all join together to express how much radio means to us. A medium over 100 years old, radio is today more relevant than ever. May it live on for many more years to come!

UNESCO Director-General.

EVENTS

UNESCO invites all radio stations worldwide to celebrate the 11th World Radio Day and to share information about their relevant activities.

Proclaimed in 2011 by the UNESCO Member States, and adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in 2012 as an International Day, February 13th became World Radio Day (WRD).

PODCASTS

Listen "No Denying It", There’s no denying it - we have to tackle the climate emergency. The UN climate action podcast brings you the voices of young climate changemakers from across our warming planet.

 

Listen "Awake at Night": What does it take to be a United Nations worker in some of the world’s most difficult and dangerous locations? Melissa Fleming finds out.

Ban Ki-moon, World Radio Day, 13 February 2013

Today, UN Radio continues to shed light on all the major issues on the United Nations agenda – from sustainable development to peacekeeping and conflict prevention. On the occasion of World Radio Day, the UN Postal Administration (UNPA) has issued six commemorative stamps designed to raise awareness of the critical role that radio continues to play across the globe. These stamps tell the story of UN Radio, and how far it has come, from the 1946 makeshift studios and offices at Lake Success, in New York State, to its present broadcasts through partner stations, via the Internet and new media and through mobile devices.



Message:

Since its invention more than 100 years ago, radio has sparked the imagination, opened doors for change, and served as a channel for life-saving information. Radio entertains, educates, and informs. It promotes democratic expression and influences ideas.
From short-wave to FM to satellite transmission – radio connects people wherever they are. In conflict situations and times of crisis, radio is a lifeline for vulnerable communities.
Radio is both valuable and cost-effective. From day one, the United Nations has been using radio to reach the peoples of the world.
UN Radio sheds light on all issues on the United Nations agenda – from sustainable development … to the protection of children … to peacekeeping and conflict prevention.
We are proud of our rich history of radio production in many languages, and the innovative ways we use radio to inform and serve the world.
On this World Radio Day, let us celebrate the power of radio and let us work together to tune the world to the frequency of peace, development and human rights for all.

Secretary-General’s message on World Radio Day

As a young boy growing up in a poor village after the Korean War, we did not have much. No phones. No television. But we had something that…
7 Feb 2013 / Listen / Download

UN Radio historical feature for World Radio Day

On Wednesday, the 13th of February this year, millions of people around the world will be celebrating World Radio Day. This annual event aims to highlight the power and relevance of radio broadcasting…
6 Feb 2013 / Listen / Download

UN Radio stamps go on sale on 13 February (UN Radio Day)

Six UN Radio stamps will go on sale at the UN Postal Administration's offices in New York, Geneva and…
5 Feb 2013 / Listen / Download

Youth have their say in radio

Young people have a lot to say, but in many communities they do not have a forum to talk…
4 Feb 2013 / Listen / Download

Radio in the line of fire

  Wednesday 13 February is World Radio Day. And according to UNESCO – it's a day to celebrate radio…
4 Feb 2013 / Listen / Download

 

 

Safety of Radio Journalists  

World Radio Day: Focus on an independent radio station in Somalia