Russia has made a voluntary contribution of $250,000 to the International Programme for the Development of Communication (IPDC) under UNESCO for media development in Africa. This was announced by the Russian Federation's Permanent Delegation to UNESCO on social media.
It is planned that during 2026-2027, projects under the program will be implemented in Malawi, Mali, Ghana, Kenya, and Senegal to enhance the professional competencies of journalists, combat online bullying and violence, and promote media and information literacy.
"Africa is a priority area of our work in UNESCO. We will continue to assist our African friends within the Organization in the fields of education, science, culture, information, and communication," stated Russia's Permanent Representative to UNESCO, Rinat Alyautdinov.
The delegation added that the Russian contribution will also support a program on journalistic ethics training in Nepal.
In early November, following a vote at the UNESCO General Conference, Egypt's former Minister of Tourism and Antiquities, Khaled El-Enany, was elected as the 12th Director-General of UNESCO. He assumed office on November 15 for a four-year term. El-Enany became the first Director-General from an Arab country and the second African to hold the position after Amadou Mahtar M'Bow of Senegal, who served from 1974 to 1987.
In the same month, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Pankin met with El-Enany on the sidelines of the General Conference in Samarkand. At that time, the Russian Deputy Foreign Minister confirmed Russia's readiness to contribute, including financially, to UNESCO's activities and to remain a "reliable partner" for developing countries.
