The United Nations(UN)’s World Radio Day is annually observed across the globe on 13th February to highlight the importance of radio as an essential part of the maintenance and transition to peace.
- World Radio Day also marks the anniversary of the establishment of the UN Radio service “UN Radio” which was established on 13th February 1946.
13th February 2023 marks the observance of the 12th edition of World Radio Day.
The theme of World Radio Day 2023 is “Radio and Peace”.
Background:
i.The General Conference of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization(UNESCO) adopted the resolution at its 36th session and proclaimed the 13th February of every year as World Radio Day to mark the establishment of UN Radio.
ii.The United Nations General Assembly(UNGA) adopted the resolution A/RES/67/124 on 18th December 2012 and endorsed the UNSECO’s resolution on World Radio Day.
- The first edition of World Radio Day was observed on 13th February 2012.
Significance:
i.Radio is a powerful medium for celebrating humanity in all its diversity and constitutes a platform for democratic discourse.
ii.According to various international reports, the Radio continues to be one of the most trusted and used media in the world.
iii.The unique ability of radio to reach out to the widest audience highlights its role in shaping a society’s experience of diversity, stands as an arena for all voices to speak out, be represented and be heard.
Events:
On the occasion of World Radio Day, UNESCO releases a number of historic audio files that can be used free of charge and without copyright restriction in planning World Radio Day broadcasts and events.
Radio:
i.Italian physicist and inventor Guglielmo Marconi invented Radio in 1895. He used radio waves to transmit signals over a distance of several kilometres.
ii.Guglielmo Marconi sent the world’s first radio message on 13th May 1897.
iii.He shared the 1909 Nobel Prize in Physics with Karl Ferdinand Braun in recognition of their contributions to the development of wireless telegraphy.
About UN Radio:
United Nations Radio was created on 13 February 1946 and in 2017, UN Radio and the UN News Centre merged to form UN News.
- UN Radio started its first broadcast in 1946 with the call sign “This is the United Nations calling the peoples of the world”.
About United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization(UNESCO):
Director-General– Audrey Azoulay
Headquarters– Paris, France
Establishment– 1945
