ARTICLE 19 and the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights launched a journalism and human rights magazine for the celebration of World Press Freedom Day.
As part of the celebrations, UNESCO organised a round table on Tuesday 5 May 2015 at the Centre d’Études des Sciences et Techniques de l’Information (CESTI) at Cheikh Anta Diop University in Dakar. The theme of the round table was “Let journalists prosper! Towards better news coverage, gender equality and media safety in the digital era”.
It was divided into four panels focusing on:
- Free, independent journalism and quality reporting in the digital era
- Problems associated with women’s participation in media management and decision-making processes, and the presentation of women in the media
- Journalists’ safety, especially in trouble spots, and the protection of journalists’ sources from any kind of digital disclosure
- A human rights-based approach to journalism
These panels were moderated by news and communication professionals and academics.
In parallel to the round table, UNESCO, ARTICLE 19 and the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) launched a journalism and human rights magazine containing a compilation of articles written in the wake of field reports on various human rights issues.
This magazine is the outcome of training given to 17 Senegalese journalists. Implemented by means of a collaborative effort between UNESCO and OHCHR, the training was about respect for human rights standards in journalism.
The ceremony was held in collaboration with the Ministry of Culture and Communication, the United Nations Information Centre (UNIC), the OHCHR West Africa Regional Office, ARTICLE 19, the Senegal National Commission for UNESCO and the associated schools, CESTI at Cheikh Anta Diop University in Dakar.
Proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly in December 1993, World Press Freedom Day is an opportunity to celebrate the fundamental principles of press freedom, assess the state of press freedom throughout the world, defend the media from attacks on their independence and pay tribute to journalists who have lost their lives in the line of duty.
World Press Freedom Day was also a response to calls from African journalists who, in 1991, proclaimed the Declaration of Windhoek (Namibia) on media pluralism and independence.