A side event at the 70th meeting of the UN General Assembly
22nd October 2015; 1pm – 2:30pm
Conference Room 8, UN Headquarters in New York
ARTICLE 19, together with the Permanent Mission of Austria to the United Nations in New York, invites you to a panel discussion with David Kaye, the UN Special Rapporteur on freedom of opinion and expression, focused on his latest report on the protection of whistleblowers and journalists’ sources.
Whistleblowers and journalists’ sources often provide crucial information to the public about human rights abuses, corruption, mismanagement and dangers to the environment and public health. Without their actions, countless unlawful and dangerous activities would continue unchallenged. These these individuals often act in the public interest, but at great risk to their safety and even their careers.
Our panel will bring together international and region experts to discuss the Special Rapporteur’s conclusions and recommendations, and what the UN and Member States must do to protect whistleblowers and journalists’ sources.
Opening:
H.E. Jan Kickert – Ambassador, Permanent Mission of Austria to the UN
(Moderator – Thomas Hughes)
Panellists:
David Kaye – UN Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of expression
Dunja Mijatovic – OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media
Edison Lanza – OAS Special Rapporteur on freedom of expression
Aicha Elbasri – UN whistleblower
Anna Myers – Government Accountability Project, Founding Member of Whistleblowing International Network
Julie Posetti – Author, UNESCO study “Protecting Journalism Sources in the Digital Era” and Lecturer, University of Wollongong
Download full invitation (PDF).