Conference Programme

Presentation

In today's increasingly complex information environment, media and information literacy (MIL) has become a shared societal responsibility. Strengthening people's ability to critically engage with information, navigate digital spaces safely, participate meaningfully in public discourse, and make informed decisions can no longer rest on the efforts of a single institution or sector alone.

The III MIL & Global Understanding Conference: Peace for All builds on the momentum generated by two previous editions of this shared process: the Cairo 2024 edition, which produced the Cairo 2024 Declaration for Global Understanding and Peace, and the Barcelona 2025 edition, which resulted in the Barcelona 2025 MIL Action Agenda. Together, these milestones reaffirm the central role of Media and Information Literacy in advancing intercultural dialogue, strengthening democratic resilience, fostering ethical technological development, and promoting peaceful coexistence.

Since its inception, this process has been organized by the Arab Academy for Science, Technology and Maritime Transport (AASTMT) and the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), developed in cooperation with the League of Arab States, the UNESCO MIL Alliance, the UNITWIN MILID Network, and the MIL Institute. Together, these partners have sought to strengthen an international ecosystem of cooperation among policymakers, scholars, educators, youth, media professionals, and civil society.

The 2026 edition, held in Cairo from 18 to 20 October, marks a new stage in this shared effort. It is held within the framework of UNESCO's Global MIL Week 2026, “It Takes a Village: Advancing Media and Information Literacy for the People”, as the designated regional event for the Arab States. This alignment situates the Cairo conference within a wider constellation of regional and thematic events taking place across the world throughout the Week, reinforcing the idea that local and regional action feeds a broader global movement for media and information literacy.

Building on the two complementary spaces established in previous editions — a MIL Global Policy Forum and an Official Congress of the Global MIL Scientific Association — the 2026 edition introduces three new axes of institutional cooperation: MILID UNESCO Chairs Cooperation, MILID Screen, and Mediterranean Academy. These additions transform the conference from a single gathering into a platform that generates durable infrastructure for cooperation, transfer, and outreach across the MIL ecosystem, before, during, and after the three conference days.

The Organizing Committee is pleased to present this official programme, which brings together policymakers, researchers, educators, media professionals, civil society representatives, and youth from around the world for three days of dialogue, scientific exchange, and institutional cooperation in Cairo, Egypt.