Tadias Magazine
Events News
Published: Friday, April 25, 2014
New York (TADIAS) — “Freedom of information is a fundamental human right and the touchstone of all the freedoms to which the United Nations is consecrated,” emphasized a UN resolution adopted by the General Assembly on December 14th 1946. The resolution further adds that “Freedom of information implies the right to gather, transmit and publish news anywhere and everywhere without fetters. As such it is an essential factor in any serious effort to promote the peace and progress of the world.”
As of 1993 the UN has designated May 3rd as World Press Freedom Day. And this year, on May 1st, 2014, a briefing in commemoration will be held at UN Headquarters in New York entitled ‘Media Freedom for a Better Future: Shaping the Post-2015 Development Agenda.’
The briefing, which will be moderated by Peter Launsky-Tieffenthal, the UN Under-Secretary-General for Communications & Public Information, is hosted by the United Nations Department of Public Information (DPI) in cooperation with the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Panelists include Maher Nasser (Moderator), Director of Outreach Division at Department of Public Information; Yehia Ghanem, International Journalist in Residence at CUNY Graduate School of Journalism; Delfine Halgand, US Representative for Reporters without Borders; Agnes Callamard, Director at Freedom of Expression and Information Project; and Wade Williams, the Editor of FrontPage Africa newspaper.
“World Press Freedom Day is a date to encourage and develop initiatives in favour of press freedom, and to assess the state of press freedom worldwide” states the briefing announcement. “It serves as a reminder to governments of the need to respect their commitment to press freedom and is also a day of reflection among media professionals about issues of press freedom and professional ethics. Just as importantly, it is a day of support for media 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 exercise of their profession.”
The briefing will be webcast live at webtv.un.org. You can post questions and comments during the session on Facebook (UNDPINGO) or Twitter (#DPINGO @UNDPINGO #WPFD).
—
If You Go:
Thursday, 1 May 2013, 10 am – 1 pm
UN Headquarters New York
Conference Room 1 (CB)
Click here to RSVP.