UNESCO, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, has announced that ten proposals for video podcast productions from ten countries have been selected to receive production grants.

More than one hundred proposals were received from close to fifty countries in response to an open call for submissions last September. The proposals were studied by a UNESCO team made up of experts from the communication and social sciences fields.

“The proposals were, in general, of a high quality” says project manager Rosa Maria Gonzalez. “Apart from the selection currently announced, UNESCO may consider some of them within the context of other on-going projects. Should further opportunities for funding arise; producers will be informed accordingly and on an individual basis”, she says.

The selection was based on the analysis of the audiovisual treatment proposed for the main themes to be addressed (Human Rights; Peace; Tolerance; Fight against discrimination, based on race, gender or other issues such as HIV/AIDS status; Millennium Development Goals, particularly poverty-alleviation and gender equality and women empowerment; Freedom of Expression; and Intercultural communication); as well as on other considerations, such as the knowledge of the subject, the innovative aspect of the proposal, the diversity of production genres and the geographical balance.

The selection includes the following titles:

• I love you (Mozambique)
• The Ice Cream Man (Nigeria/Benin)
• Goats, camels and books (Kenya)
• Hablamos (Guatemala/USA)
• Incident Love (Mexico)
• The boy who loves flowers (Philippines)
• Shiva: The third eye (India)
• Women and human rights (Iran)
• Being fed up (Italy)
• Diversit√© culturelle en Afrique (CIRTEF, Pan-African).

UNESCO will contact the production teams in the coming days in order to formalize the terms of its cooperation, which will involve working in close collaboration with UNESCO’s executive producer for this series.