World Radio Day 2022

Context

World Radio Day is celebrated on 13 February every year to recognize radio as a powerful medium, which brings people together from every corner of the globe, to promote diversity and help build a more peaceful and inclusive world.

World Radio Day is observed every year to underline the importance of radio in today's world.

Background

The agenda of observing World radio day was first put forward by a Spanish Radio Academy on September 20, 2010.
- Spain proposed that the UNESCO Executive Board should include an agenda item to proclaim the day.
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) member states first proclaimed the World Radio Day in 2011.
- Then it carried out a wide consultation in 2011 in which 91% people were in favour of the project.
- Thus, the executive board recommended UNESCO to proclaim a World Radio Day at the 36th session.
- The move was also supported by Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union (ABU), Arab States Broadcasting Union (ASBU), Caribbean Broadcasting Union (CBU), African Union of Broadcasting (AUB), European Broadcasting Union (EBU), and the International Association of Broadcasting (IAB).
The day was later adopted by the UN General Assembly in 2012 as an International Day.

Theme

The World Radio Day 2022 Theme is ' Radio and Trust.'
- The main theme of the day in 2022 has been divided into three main sub-themes-
  - Trust in radio journalism: Journalism should be about giving out the right, well-researched, and verified information. The people involved in the radio journalism industry must be able to produce high-quality content.
  - Trust and accessibility: This sub-theme intends to bring into notice the need for accessibility of the information or news to different sections of society. Each and every individual (including people with disabilities) must be able to have access to the radio.
  - Trust and viability of radio stations: The radio stations must ensure competitiveness and must be able to engage a wide audience.
- The World Radio Day 2021 Theme was 'New World, New Radio.'

Significance

Radio is one of the most powerful and trustworthy mediums of communication, especially to reach the masses.
It remains the most widely consumed medium at the global level.
Radio stations serve diverse communities, offering a wide variety of programmes and content.
This unique ability of radio to reach out the widest audience means that it can shape a society’s experience of diversity and be a platform where all voices are heard.
There are a lot of people who still trust radio and rely on it for the consumption of news and entertainment purposes.
It also plays an important role in delivering information during the time of natural disasters.
The main motive behind starting this day was to allow people from different backgrounds, cultures, and experiences to raise their concerns and voice their opinions.