What are the aims and objectives of the McBride Commission of the UNESCO? What is India’s position on these?
Approach · directive: “what”
What it asks · State why UNESCO set up the commission (International Commission for the Study of Communication Problems), what it recommended, and where India stood.
It asks 2 things — answer each
- State the aims and objectives of UNESCO's MacBride Commission
- State India's position on these
Open with · UNESCO's International Commission for the Study of Communication Problems (1977), under Seán MacBride, reported in 1980 as Many Voices, One World.
Cover
- Concern: a wide gap in communication capabilities between developing and developed countries.
- Central aim: a New World Information and Communication Order (NWICO) treating communication and freedom of information as basic human rights.
- Objectives: narrow the capability gap between developing and developed countries, and treat communication and freedom of information as rights.
- Controversy: Western governments feared curbs on press freedom; the US (1984) and UK (1985) left UNESCO.
- India's position: as a Non-Aligned Movement member, India has joined NAM texts (Tehran, 2012) promoting a New World Information and Communication Order.
- Free press at home: Article 19(1)(a) guarantees free speech; balance cannot mean state control, a lesson the Emergency's press censorship reinforced.
Close with · SDG target 16.10, public access to information with fundamental freedoms, mirrors India's stand: plurality without state control.
Add value (verified)
- Seán MacBride was appointed president of UNESCO's International Commission for the Study of Communication Problems in 1977.Encyclopaedia Britannica, Seán MacBride ↗“also in that year he was appointed president of the International Commission for the Study of Communication Problems , established by UNESCO”
- The Commission's report was titled Many Voices, One World: towards a new more just and more efficient world information and communication order.UN Digital Library, Many voices, one world (record 80, web.archive copy) ↗“Many voices, one world : towards a new more just and more efficient world information and communication order / [report by the International Commission for the S”
- Article 19(1)(a) guarantees all citizens the right to freedom of speech and expression.The Constitution of India (as on 1 May 2024), Article 19 - Legislative Department ↗“Protection of certain rights regarding freedom of speech, etc.— (1) All citizens shall have the right— (a) to freedom of speech and expression”
- SDG target 16.10 seeks public access to information and protection of fundamental freedoms.United Nations, Sustainable Development Goal 16 - targets and indicators ↗“Ensure public access to information and protect fundamental freedoms, in accordance with national legislation and international agreements”
- Britannica: the Commission proposed a New World Information and Communication Order treating communication and freedom of information as basic human rights and seeking to narrow the communications gap between developing and developed countries.Encyclopaedia Britannica, 'UNESCO' ↗“proposed a New World Information and Communication Order that would treat communication and freedom of information as basic human rights and seek to eliminate the gap in communications capabilities between developing and developed countries.”
- Britannica: the United States withdrew from UNESCO in 1984, and the United Kingdom and Singapore a year later.Encyclopaedia Britannica, 'UNESCO' ↗“withdraw from the organization in 1984, and the United Kingdom and Singapore withdrew a year later.”
- In the House of Commons (22 November 1985) the UK government said the new information order idea from the MacBride commission could justify rigid government controls in the name of a balanced flow of information.UK House of Commons, Hansard, UNESCO, 22 November 1985 ↗“posed a threat to the freedom of the press because it could be used to justify rigid Government controls in the name of producing a balanced flow of information.”
- The Non-Aligned Movement's 2012 Tehran summit document, adopted with India as a member, calls for cooperation to promote a New World Information and Communication Order based on universal, inclusive and non-discriminatory access to information.Non-Aligned Movement, Final Document of the XVI Summit, Tehran 2012 (MEA-hosted copy) ↗“Increase cooperation to promote a New World Information and Communication Order, based on universal, inclusive and non-discriminatory access to information and knowledge relating to ICT”
- The same NAM document emphasises that everyone has the right to freedom of expression, a right carrying special duties and responsibilities.Non-Aligned Movement, Final Document of the XVI Summit, Tehran 2012 (MEA-hosted copy) ↗“emphasizes that everyone has the right to freedom of expression, and reaffirms that the exercise of this right carries with it special duties and responsibilities”
Question: UPSC's CS (Main) 2016, GS Paper II — paper ↗. Approach: Minimalist IAS, checked 3 Oct 2026 (how we verify) — UPSC publishes no model answers. ·
Model answer· 282words · Minimalist IAS
In 1977 Seán MacBride was appointed president of UNESCO's International Commission for the Study of Communication Problems. Its 1980 report, Many Voices, One World, sought 'a new more just and more efficient world information and communication order'.
Aims and objectives of the MacBride Commission
- Diagnose imbalance: developing countries lagged far behind in communication capabilities, so their voices were thinly heard.
- NWICO: a New World Information and Communication Order that treats communication and freedom of information as basic human rights.
- Build capacity: close the gap in communication capabilities between developing and developed countries.
- Communication as a right: access to information and freedom of information as basic entitlements.
- Controversy: Britain's government said the order could justify rigid government controls on the press; the US (1984) and the UK (1985) left UNESCO.
| Theme | MacBride / NWICO aim | India's position |
|---|---|---|
| News flow | Balanced, two-way | Backed it through NAM |
| Media capacity | Narrow capability gap | Access to ICT and knowledge |
| Press freedom | Freedom of information | Free press, no state control |
India's position on these
- Non-Aligned voice: as a Non-Aligned Movement member, India has joined summit documents (Tehran, 2012) promoting a New World Information and Communication Order with universal, inclusive access to information.
- Balance with freedom: the same Non-Aligned text affirms everyone's right to freedom of expression, with special duties and responsibilities.
- Free press at home: Article 19(1)(a) guarantees freedom of speech and expression, so balance cannot mean state control.
- Lesson learnt: press censorship during the Emergency (1975–77) showed why balance must never mean state control.
The MacBride questions of who speaks and who is heard are live again in platform-dominated media. SDG target 16.10, public access to information with fundamental freedoms, captures India's stand: plurality, without state control.
Prepared by Minimalist IAS to the answer standard of Shivam Singh (mentor, 7 years) · facts checked against official sources (how we verify) · updated 3 Oct 2026. UPSC publishes no model answers: compare your structure and coverage with this, then write your own.
