World Press Freedom Day

On May 6, 2025; From 16:00 – 18:00; A parallel event entitled ''L'IA au service de l’intégrité de l’information et de la paix." Organizer: Organisation internationale de la Francophonie (OIF) Venue: Centre BOZAR, Salle Rotonde Suzanne Bertouille (Brussels) Register here Contact: Shelina Scaravelli

On May 6, 2025; From 16:00 – 17:30; A parallel event entitled: "Supporting Journalism under Severe Political Pressure: The Challenges and Opportunities. Organizer: OSCE Venue: Le Poste, Place du Jeu de Balle 62, 1000 Brussels Contact: Aidar Botagarov

On May 6, 2025; From 15:00 – 17:00; A parallel event entitled '' Building Resilient Newsrooms - Developing Protocols to Protect the Safety of Journalists." Organizer: IWMF , supported by UNESCO's International Programme for the Development of Communication Venue: Visit Brussels rue Royale 2-4, 1000 Brussels Register here Contact: Nadine Hoffman

On May 6, 2025; From 14:00 - 17:30; A parallel event entitled '' Disinformation: impact and challenges in a fast changing world." Organizer: Flanders Chancellery and Foreign Office Venue: Flemish Parliament More information here

On May 6, 2025; From 14:00 – 15:00, Launch of Worlds of Journalism Study Global Index on Journalists' Safety. Organizer: Worlds of Journalism Study and University of Liverpool . Venue: Vrije Universiteit Brussel (Free University of Brussels) Register here Contact: Dr Vera Slavtcheva-Petkova

On May 6, 2025; From 12:00 - 14:00, A parallel event entitled ''Disinformation in elections, AI and its impact on reporting.'' Organizer: Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom Venue: Av. de Cortenbergh 71, 1000 Bruxelles, Belgium Register here Contact: Patrick Reiland

On May 6, 2025; From 10:30 - 12:30, Global launch of the 2025 UNDP Human Development Report: A Matter of Choice: People and Possibilities in the Age of AI Organizer: UNDP European Union . Venue: Palais des Académies / Paleis der Academiën, Rue Ducale 1, 1000 Brussels. Register here .

On May 6, 2025; From 9:00 – 11:00; A parallel event entitled ''The Critical Roles of Journalists and Scientists in times of Information Crisis and Planetary Emergency.'' Organizers: Denmark Delegation to UNESCO . Venue: Residence Palace, International Press Centre Salon, rue de la Loi 155, 1040 Brussels. Contact: Malene Nielsen .

On May 5, 2025. From 16:00 - 18:00, A parallel event entitled ''DSA Human Rights Alliance strategic workshop: global protection of digital rights and communities at risk." Organizers: Access Now , Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) Venue: Digital Rights Hub (Access Now Brussels Office), Rue Belliard 12, 1040, Brussels. Contact: Eliška Pírková , Christoph Schmon .

On May 5, 2025 from 14:00-16:00; A parallel event entitled ''Addressing SLAPPs as an increasing threat to media freedom and public interest journalism in Europe." Organizers: Hosted by civil society Coalition Against SLAPPs in Europe (CASE) , OHCHR Regional Office for Europe and the Council of Europe . Venue: Press Club Brussels. Public event but registration required (link to be provided). It’s time to reclaim the shame. It’s time to strip away the facade of legal respectability and expose the aggressive bully tactics underneath. It’s time to show the faces of some of the worst legal bullies in Europe.  WELCOME TO THE GALLERY OF SHAME

  On May 5, 2025 from 14:00 – 15:30; A parallel event entitled '' Information battlefield: digital warfare, censorship and risks to women journalists in conflict.'' Organizers: Article 19 , OHCHR Sudan , OHCHR Palestine . Contact: Silvia Chocarro. Please note that due to high demand, the venue has reached full capacity and registration is now officially closed.

On May 5, 2025 from 12:30 - 13:45; a Parallel event entitled ''Crackdown on Press Freedom Amidst Global Autocracy.'' Organizer: Committee to Protect Journalists Venue: Press Club Brussels | Rue Froissart 95, 1040 Bruxelles, Belgium Register here Contact: Gypsy Guillén Kaiser

On May 5, 2025 from 11:00-12:30; Parallel event entitled ''Access to Information and Media Pluralism in the face of AI and Power Concentration." Organizers: OHCHR and OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media. Venue: UN House Boulevard du Régent 37-40, 1000 Brussels. More information:  Panel Discussion . Contact: Renaud de Villaine .

On May 5, 2025; From 10:00 – 12:00. A Coordination meeting for members of the Media Freedom Coalition’s Consultative Network (by invitation only) Organizer: Media Freedom Coalition Media freedom is an integral element of democracy, human rights, global security and prosperity.

May 6, 2025 - From 17:15 - 19:30; Parallel event entitled '' Freedom of Expression, AI and Elections." Organizers: UNESCO Liaison Office in Brussels , UNDP European Union | Interpretation: English, Spanish Venue: Square Brussels Convention Center . Contact: Albertina Piterbarg . Link to register here .

May 6, 2025 - From 17:00 – 19:30; Parallel event entitled ''Artistic Freedom and Creativity: Navigating the Age of AI in a Volatile World." Organizers: UNESCO , with the support of the UNESCO-Aschberg Programme for Artists and Cultural Professionals (funded by the government of Norway), in collaboration with On the Move . Venue: BIP Meeting Center . Contact: Rosario Soraide . More information here Link to register link

May 6, 2025 - From 16:30 – 18:00; Parallel event entitled ''AI and Information Integrity: Governance approaches to promote trust and innovation." Organizers: UNESCO Liaison office in Brussels , OECD . Venue: Square Brussels Convention Center  , The Arc Auditorium, 3rd floor. Contact: Lucas Novaes . Link to register here

May 6, 2025 - From 14:00 – 16:00; Parallel event entitled ''Responding to Hate Campaigns in Elections, a Masterclass for Journalists." Organizer: UNESCO Liaison Office in Brussels. Venue: Square Brussels Convention Center , The Arc Auditorium, 3rd floor.  Contact : Dissarantir Tovikkai . Link to register here

May 6, 2025 - From 9:45 – 12:00, Parallel event entitled ''Protecting Critical Voices – Guidance for Human Rights Impact Assessment (HRIA) on Digital Platforms." Organizers: UNESCO, OHCHR Venue: Square Brussels Convention Center  , The Arc Auditorium, 3rd floor. Contact: Ophelie Leger . Link to register here  

  In 2021, the Fidesz government of Prime Minister Viktor Orban continued its steady erosion of media pluralism. As part of global revelations, an investigative reporting project meanwhile unearthed the surveillance of multiple Hungarian journalists using the Pegasus spyware developed by Israeli spyware firm NSO Group, leading to fresh concerns about the illegal surveillance of journalists and their sources . Hungary was the only country in the EU in which the state intelligence agencies were suspected of tar‐ geting their own nation’s journalists. The 12 alerts recorded on the MapMF plat‐ form, and 47 attacked persons or entities related to media , do not reflect the true scale of the challenges facing media freedom in Hungary, which continued to be among the lowest of the EU member states. Unlike other EU states, however, the state/government was the source of 50% of documeted alerts, indicating the continued pressure by the Fidesz party on independent media.  On 18 July...