World Radio Day 2021: Date, theme, significance of this day that you need to know

World Radio Day is globally celebrated on February 13. As the name suggests, the day is meant to promote and encourage people towards the usage of radio. Another important part of the day is to make more and more people aware of the history of radio.

This year, the theme of World Radio Day has been divided into three sub-themes namely, evolution, innovation, and connection. 2021 also marks the tenth anniversary of World Radio Day.

According to UNESCO, the radio still continues to be the most widely consumed medium of communication across the globe. UNESCO also mentions that the radio stations should serve diverse communities, through a range of programs, viewpoints, and content.

The day was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in 2012 and ever since it has gained the status of an international day. The UNESCO member countries had however proclaimed World Radio Day in 2011.

A variety of events are organized across the globe to mark this very special day. These events include seminars and discussions on the significance and history of radio.

In India, the day is being celebrated in partnership with Seeking Modern Applications for Real Transformation (SMART), and with support from All India Radio. They will all jointly organize an event which will last for two days on the theme ‘New World, New Radio’.

The event will be held on February 13 and February 14. Due to the current coronavirus pandemic situation, some of the sessions will be pre-recorded and will be released online on the day of the event. The sole reason behind doing this is to ensure the safety of people.

Sessions that are going to be held during the event will touch upon topics like the challenges faced by radio during the global health crisis, the resilience of the radio, and how strong it is as a medium of communication.

There will also be a session titled “Lessons from Across the Borders”. This session will feature a panel of radio experts from across the globe and the discussion will revolve around how the world coped with the crisis in 2020.