Barcelona (UAB) to Host the Second MILID & Global Understanding Conference to Combat Disinformation and Hate Speech

Over 100 international experts and representatives from 50 universities and institutions will gather on April 28-29, 2025, to develop a Common Action Plan promoting media literacy and intercultural dialogue.

Barcelona (UAB, hotel EXE Campus, Bellaterra) will host the Second International Conference on Media and Information Literacy and Global Understanding (MILID & Global Understanding), an international forum dedicated to strengthening global strategies against disinformation and hate speech in the digital age.

The conference is organized by the Arab Academy and the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB) – through the MIL Institute  and Gabinete de Comunicación y Educación– within the framework of the UNESCO MILID International Cooperation Program. It also receives institutional support from INCIBE (Spain's National Cybersecurity Institute) and the collaboration of the UNESCO MILID Network and UNESCO MIL Alliance.

The event builds on the success of the first edition held in Cairo in 2024, under the auspices of the Arab League and UNESCO. That inaugural conference established a broad consensus on the crucial role of Media and Information Literacy (MIL) and intercultural dialogue in fostering global peace.

One year later, amid escalating global tensions and rising polarization, the Barcelona conference seeks to move from discussion to concrete action by developing a Common Action Plan that will serve as a reference framework for advancing media education, international cooperation, and ethical digital governance.

Key Objectives of the Conference

The conference will address two major challenges:

• Strengthening Global Cooperation by fostering an international platform for collaboration among MIL organizations and networks.
• Establishing a Common Action Plan to provide a structured framework for promoting critical thinking and intercultural dialogue in the digital era.

Core Initiatives within the Common Action Plan

 Developing a Global MILID Research Agenda to inform policy and education strategies.

 Formulating an Ethical and Civic Commitment to responsible engagement with digital media and artificial intelligence.

• Introducing New Methodologies for Intercultural and Interreligious Dialogue through digital platforms to foster global understanding.

Conference Structure and Methodology

The event will feature plenary sessions and interactive workshops, designed to analyze the evolving media landscape and develop actionable solutions.

• Plenary sessions will explore the impact of emerging media ecosystems on global discourse.
• Workshops will focus on shaping the Common Action Plan and will be structured around three main themes:​
  •  MILID & Intercultural Dialogue
  • MILID in Research, Education, and Action
  • MILID, Digital Rights, Cybersecurity, and Artificial Intelligence

Through collaborative engagement and strategic discussions, the Second MILID & Global Understanding Conference aims to be a milestone event in the global fight against disinformation and hate speech, while promoting an informed, critical, and responsible digital citizenship.

The first Global Understanding Conference took place in April 2024 in Cairo, at the headquarters of the Arab League.