PURPOSE: 3 May acts as a reminder to governments of the need to respect the commitment made to press freedom and is also a day of reflection among media professionals about issues of press freedom and professional ethics. Just as importantly, World Press Freedom Day is a day of support for media workers which are targets for the restraint, or abolition, of press freedom. It is also a day of remembrance for those journalists who lost their lives in the pursuit of a story.
FORUM: "A Press for the planet: Journalism is the face of the environmental crisis." World Press Freedom Day 2024. 30 years after the historic Santiago Declaration, which advanced media independence and pluralism, UNESCO reaffirms its worldwide commitment to defending press freedom of expression. On 2 - 4 May, the Government of Chile and UNESCO will host the 31st World Press Freedom Day Conference in Santiago. The commemoration will be dedicated to the importance of journalism and freedom of expression in the context of the current global environmental crisis. Follow the conversation with the hashtags: #WPFD2024, #WorldPressFreedomDay, #freedomofexpression, #PressFreedom, #Apress, #fortheplanet #journalism, #environmentalcrisis, #3may.
EVENTS: From May 2 to 4, commemorate World Press Freedom Day2024 with UNESCO and the Government of Chile under the theme ''A Press for the planet: Journalism is the face of the environmental crisis." at the Centro Cultural Gabriela Mistral, Santiago, Chile. From 9:00 - 10:05 am, the Opening ceremony start at the Plenary Room with a Video: “The Important Stuff” following by Welcome remarks from the Director-General, UNESCO, the former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and the President of the Republic of Chile.
10:15 - 11:20 - Plenary Session I: No future without freedom of expression and access to information. (Plenary room)
11:30 - 12:25 Breakout sessions Track 1: Climate Disinformation in South America and Beyond. Organized by Climate Action Against Disinformation Coalition - Union of Concern Scientists | Room C2 Track 2: (Dis)InfoTactics in the super election year: The scramble to rebuild trust in the media. Organized by by DW Akademie | Room A2 Track 3: Joint Declaration of the Special Rapporteurs on Freedom of Expression. (Room A1) Track 4: Moving indigenous voices to the center of the Stage. Intercultural communication: between the challenge of production in one's own language and the dispute over stigmatization; Organized by Defensoria de Público and UNESCO | Room N2 Track 5: From the field: Environmental journalism experiences in the America; Organized by Climate Tracker and UNESCO | Room C1Workshop: Data-driven investigations in the Amazon Rainforest: journalism contributions for the governance in the region; hosted by the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting |BiblioGAM.
13:30 - 14:45 - Plenary Session II: The threats to our future. (Plenary room).
14:50 – 15:45 Breakout sessions.
Track 1: Climate Disinformation in South America and Beyond.
Organized by Climate Action Against Disinformation Coalition - Union of Concern Scientists | Room C2.
Track 2: (Dis)InfoTactics in the super election year: The scramble to rebuild trust in the media.
Organized by by DW Akademie | Room A2Ms. Patricia Mayorga, Periodistas de a Pie, Mexico
Track 3: Joint Declaration of the Special Rapporteurs on Freedom of Expression (Room A1)
Track 4: Moving indigenous voices to the center of the Stage. Intercultural communication: between the challenge of production in one's own language and the dispute over stigmatization. Hosted by Defensoria de Público & UNESCO | Room N2, Daniel Zalazar, Centro de Producción Intercultural de Aluminé, Argentina
Track 5: From the field: Environmental journalism experiences in the America.
Organized by Climate Tracker and UNESCO | Room C1Mr. Patrick Murayari, Kukama-kukamiria Indigenous Community in Loreto, Peru.
Workshop: Data-driven investigations in the Amazon Rainforest: journalism contributions for the governance in the region.
Organized by the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting | BiblioGAMMs. Karla Mendes, Mongabay, Brazil and Mr. Bram Ebus, Independent journalist.
16:00 - 16:55 - Breakout sessions Track 1: Intergenerational fireside chat: fostering digital resilience and child participation to promote reliable information about climate change
Organized by Instituto Alana | Room A2Mr. João Brant, Secretariat of Communication of the Presidency of the Republic, Brazil
Track 2: Targeting Journalists: under the Crisis of Environment and Armed Conflicts
Organized by Al Jazeera | Room A1Mr. Wael Aldahdouh, Al Jazeera, Palestine (video message)
Track 3: Informing the Planet: international mechanisms for accessing environmental information.
Organized by UNESCO | Room N2Ms. Blanca Lilia Ibarra Cadena, Commissioner at the National Institute for Transparency, Access to Information and Personal Data Protection of Mexico, Mexico.
Track 4: What happened to media pluralism?
Organized by OBSERVACOM, UNESCO Montevideo, DW Akademie | Room C1Ms. Mónica Valdés, Community Radio Activist, Colombia.
Track 5: Saving the planet and protecting democracy: same fight!; Organized by SOCOLAC and UNESCO | Room C2Mr. Sergio Arauz, El Faro, El Salvador.
Workshop: Exploring the Power of Collaboration for a Sustainable Environment and Information Ecosystem. Organized by IFEX | BiblioGAMMs. Rachael Kay, IFEX, Canada.
17:00 – 18:10 - Plenary Session III : Facing a future for all. (Plenary room).
18:10 – 18:30 Unity in Action: Unveiling a Joint Declaration by Presidents of UN Bodies (Plenary room).
18:30 - 18:45 - Roadmap to the Future (Plenary room).
Explore the full agenda programme, the Side-events and Get the list of the panelists!
PRIZES: The observance will be also the occasion to award the UNESCO/Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize, which recognizes and honors the contributions of journalists, particularly those who risk their lives to provide essential information to the public. this year a Palestinian journalists covering Gaza awarded 2024 UNESCO/Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize, you can Watch in live the award ceremony!
STATEMENTS: Read the statement of The United Nations Secretary-General on World Press Freedom Day 2024 and statement of the Director-General of UNESCO, on the occasion of World Press Freedom Day 2024.
PODCASTS: Let us engage together to protect press freedom, reaffirm the vital importance of freedom of expression, and shape a future where human rights are at the centre of decision making at the global, regional and national level. Listen to the audio-podcasts!
CAMPAIGN MATERIALS: “Speak Up, Stay Free” On #WorldPressFreedomDay, we celebrate and support journalists and media outlets who are targeted for the restraint, or abolition, of press freedom. Disseminate the campaign across different media and social media outlets. Get the campaign materials!
WHY WE CELEBRATE THE DAY?
The World Press Freedom Day invites us to celebrate the fundamental principles of press freedom, to evaluate press freedom around the world, to defend the media from attacks on their independence and to pay tribute to journalists who have lost their lives in the exercise of their profession.
In the 75 years since the adoption of the Universal Declaration, the right to freedom of expression has been further affirmed and enshrined in numerous international instruments; the 1966 International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the 1989 Convention on the Rights of the Child, and the 2006 Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, among many other global and regional standards. While all human rights are universal, interdependent, indivisible and interrelated; freedom of expression’s function as an enabler for other human rights has been further explored by relevant United Nations treaty bodies and committees in charge of international instruments, who published their interpretation of provisions in the form of general comments or recommendations. On this occasion, the global community will debate and set the agenda for both the development of human rights and how to protect them in an everchanging world, and World Press Freedom Day will serve as an opportunity to put a strong focus on freedom of expression within the overall human rights agenda.
ACTIONS
Raise awareness about the issues of the Day’s theme.
Underline the importance of information within our online media environment.
Celebrate the day for instance by teaming up with organizations promoting environmental causes, women’s rights, children'srights, indigenous rights, digital rights, the fight against corruption and others.
Mobilize top newspapers and media organizations and leading journalists, experts, influencers, and activists around the world.
Support independent journalism.
Ensure greater transparency of online platforms.
Develop media and information literacy.
Engage top media newspapers, outlets and broadcasters (TV and radio) from around the world to disseminate the campaign materials.
Organize events that spotlight thelink between press freedom, freedom of expression and other rights.
PARTNERSHIPS
The events are organized by the World Press Freedom's community including civil society organizations, universities, media freedom networks and other New York-based and international organizations. This year’s Special 30th anniversary celebration of World Press Freedom Day is therefore a call to recentre press freedom, as well as independent, pluralistic and diverse media, as necessary key to the enjoyment of all other human rights. This anniversary coincides with the 30th anniversary of the Vienna Conference and its Declaration and Programme of Action on Human Rights, which established important institutions safeguarding human rights, and with the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
UNESCO coordinates the Day, which involve around 100 celebrations in countries around the globe and leads the main celebration by organizing a global conference together with the host government and various partners working in the field of freedom of expression. For more information Contact wpfd@unesco.org