Statement of the meeting of civil society delegates of the 3rd UN Inter-Agency meeting on the safety of journalists and the issue of impunity

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Statement of the meeting of civil society delegates of the 3rd UN Inter-Agency meeting on the safety of journalists and the issue of impunity - Protection

We, the undersigned participants of the meeting of the civil society delegates of the 3rd  UN Inter-Agency meeting on the Safety of Journalists and the Issue of Impunity, that took place on the 4th November, 2014:

  • Reaffirm our support for the UN Plan of Action on the Safety of Journalists and the Issue of Impunity while recommending a stronger strategic focus on engaging all stakeholders at domestic levels to implement the plan, given the time passed since its launch;
  • In particular, welcome emphasis on the preventive and protective safety measures outlined in the Plan of Action but encourage more consistent and less disconnected actions at country level to guarantee such precautionary measures;
  • Believe that national mechanisms need to be further developed and strengthened to ensure a broad-based, comprehensive and inclusive approach, based on local ownership;
  • Recognize the need for political will and action by UN member states and other authorities to implement the Plan;
  • Appreciate the efforts to map and continue to identify good practices with the expectation that they can be shared among civil society and media and replicated where appropriate to inspire implementation of the Plan of Action. But we recommend more robust use and application of these practices at country level;
  • Agree to support implementation of the Plan of Action in mutual cooperation and partnership among international, regional and national stakeholders, while also monitoring and assessing the Plan’s impact.
  • We recognize that more needs to be done among international NGOs to ensure more efficient coordination at country level in order to support and facilitate the achievement of the targets set in the action plan;
  • Underscore the need to comply with the decisions of regional mechanisms to address impunity and ensure effective implementation of such structures where they exist;
  • While recalling obligations of the UN and its member states to prevent attacks and combat impunity globally, we recommend implementation of the Plan of Action in a comprehensive manner,
  • Note that increased awareness the UN Action Plan among UN institutions as well as member states and the media themselves is crucial to its successful implementation, and undertake to increase our own efforts to enhance awareness of the Plan among journalists,
  • Encourage regular and timely reviews of the progress of the UN Action Plan by all stakeholders.


Signed by:

ARTICLE 19

Association of European Journalists

Centre for Freedom of the Media

Centre for Law and Democracy

Committee to Protect Journalists (TBC)

Deutsche Welle

Doha Centre for Media Freedom

European Federation of Journalists

Free Press Unlimited

International Federation of Journalists

International Media Support

International News Safety Institute

International Press Institute

International Women’s Media Foundation

IREX Europe

IREX

Irish Centre for Human Rights

Media Legal Defence Initiative

Program on Independent Journalism, Open Society Foundations

PEN International

Reporters Without Borders

World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers (WAN-IFRA)

World Press Freedom Committee