ComCom hosts national media and information literacy forum to mark UNESCO Global Media and Information Literacy Week

The Georgian Communications Commission (ComCom) has hosted the national forum “Everyone’s Role Matters – Media Literacy for All” as part of UNESCO’s Global Media and Information Literacy Week.

The event brought together local and international partner organisations, educational leaders, and key stakeholders. The Chairman of the Communications Commission, Goga Gulordava, officially opened the forum.

Mariam Lashkhi, Chair of the Parliamentary Committee on Education, Science and Youth Affairs; Tamar Makharashvili, Deputy Minister of Education, Science and Youth; and Alexandru Nartea, Deputy Representative of UNICEF in Georgia, delivered the welcome addresses.

Organised around the central theme of this year’s UNESCO Global Week, the forum aimed to highlight the collective responsibility of all sectors and individual citizens in fostering a media-literate society, providing a platform for knowledge-sharing and cross-sectoral collaboration.

A key panel discussion titled “Media and Information Literacy as a Shared Responsibility” was moderated by Communications Commission member Natia Kukuladze. Panellists included Irma Bolkvadze from the Ministry of Education, Science and Youth; Maia Kurtsikidze, Head of Communication Programmes at UNICEF Georgia; and Ani Gvetadze, Associate Professor and Head of Psychology Programmes at Alterbridge University. The panellists examined best practices and strategies to embed media literacy across public and educational institutions.

The event focused on the launch of the new National Media Literacy Standard and Framework Guide. Mariam Dakhundaridze, Head of the Media Literacy Development Department at the Communications Commission, presented progress on integrating media literacy into the formal education system. She highlighted a steady rise in enrolment for the elective subject. Irma Bolkvadze subsequently briefed educators on the core principles and concepts of the updated national standard.

The forum featured interactive engagement tools designed to reinforce its core message, introducing three symbolic “superhero” personas to represent key tenets of media literacy:

The Media Guru: Symbolising responsible content creation, fact-based dissemination, and ethical communication.
The Digital Sherlock: Representing critical thinking, fact-checking, and the ability to detect disinformation and manipulation.
The Cyber Expert: Emphasising digital safety, personal data protection, and responsible technology use.

Attendees took part in interactive sessions, completing a “Which Superhero Are You?” self-assessment and sharing practical advice on online safety and fact-checking via a “One Tip to Send” postcard exchange.

The interactive sessions underscored that in a digital ecosystem where citizens act as both consumers and creators of content, critical thinking, rigorous fact-checking, and robust data privacy are essential.

Global Media and Information Literacy Week is a flagship UNESCO initiative aimed at raising awareness and deepening cooperation among governments, civil society, the private sector, and the public. This year marks the sixth consecutive year the Communications Commission has spearheaded the initiative in Georgia.