The UNESCO Chair on Community Media at University of Hyderabad(UoH), led by Prof. Vinod Pavarala, has been awarded a prestigious grant by the International Programme for the Development of Communication (IPDC) of UNESCO to strengthen gender-sensitive programming at community radio stations in India.
Announced by IPDC at its 63rd Intergovernmental Council meeting held in Paris on June 20, this is the only India-specific award made out by the organisation this year. To be anchored by Prof. Kanchan K. Malik, Head, Department of Communication and Faculty Fellow at the Chair, the project grant of about US $24,000 will support the development of a Gender Sensitivity Manual for Community Radio that seeks to help community radio stations enhance women’s participation in every aspect of radio operations, and help CR practitioners ensure that the station’s editorial content is gender sensitive. The project will involve fieldwork at CR stations and consultative workshops, through which the manual will be developed and capacities built of at least 25 CR stations across the country to engage in gender-sensitive programming.
The UNESCO Chair on Community Media set up at UoH in 2011 is the first of its kind globally. It has received previous grants from UNESCO IPDC, although on a smaller scale, to support its activities in India and elsewhere.