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Abstract

This article is the first to discuss the recent and significant reforms of United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization’s (UNESCO) communications. I analyse the major measures such as bringing together communication and political workers in one sector, assembling all communicators and web services in one division and introducing monthly media reports. I examine issues such as opening the brand, clearance of press releases, use of languages, professionalisation, press agentry and the need to adopt a more conversational and multiple-voice approach. UNESCO’s communications reform has advanced only halfway in two respects. First, changes have not resulted in a comprehensive communication strategy. Despite refurbishing its web site and introducing various social media, the organisation is still using the one-sided model of public information. It is lacking the new media agents who can engage UNESCO’s diverse constituency in online sharing and networking. Second, the restructuring has partly empowered the communicators and made them more professional. The reform, however, is not accomplished. The functionalist, old-bureaucratic notion that communication is an organisational ‘silo’, and that changes should affect only those who are appointed to communicate, is redundant. For a full success, not only the communications of the organisation, but also the organisation that communicates needs to change.

Keywords

Agency branding communication public diplomacy public relations reform social media strategy visibility

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Bringing communication up to agency: UNESCO reforms its visibility

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