World Press Freedom Day 2018

Lydia Gachungi is currently the Regional Expert for Safety of Journalists and Media Development under the UNESCO Regional Office for Eastern Africa a, secondment from Norwegian Capacity Building Programme (NORCAP), which is managed by the Norwegian Refugee Council.  A holder of Master’s Degree in International Relations with special focus on the role of the media in conflict management, Lydia also holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Education, majoring in Information Science. She has worked in countries in conflict and relatively at peace, having been based in South Sudan where she managed the UNESCO Communication and Information Programme, playing a key role in enactment of the South Sudan media laws and coordination of media sector. She was previously based in Southern Africa Region where she also coordinated the UNESCO Communication and Information programme in Namibia, Southern Africa, Lesotho, Swaziland and Angola.  Before joining UNESCO, Lydia worked as a Chief Documentalist and also coordinated the 26 Chapters for the African Council for Communication Education (ACCE), a Pan African Non-Governmental Organisation. She is passionate in working with African countries and providing technical support in establishing and strengthening national, regional and continental coordination mechanisms for media development, peace building and initiatives that promote freedom of expression, media freedom, access to information and safety of journalists.