World Press Freedom Day

Afghanistan Event: Commemorating World Press Freedom Day in Kabul Organizer: Afghan Journalists Date: 3 May 2026. Description: A gathering bringing together journalists and media stakeholders to promote press freedom, discuss key challenges, and encourage dialogue on improving the media environment in Afghanistan. Type of meeting: In Person. Audience type: Closed meeting. Location: Kabul, Afghanistan.

  *All times are in Eastern Time (ET). AM LIVE SESSION: 30th Anniversary of World Press Freedom Day Global Conference PM LIVE SESSION: 30th Anniversary of World Press Freedom Day Global Conference. ABOUT THE DAY:  Every year, 3 May is a date which celebrates the fundamental principles of press freedom, to evaluate press freedom around the world, to defend the media from attacks on their independence and to pay tribute to journalists who have lost their lives in the exercise of their profession. The World Press Freedom Day was proclaimed by the UN General Assembly in 1993 following a Recommendation adopted at the twenty-sixth session of UNESCO's General Conference in 1991. This in turn was a response to a call by African journalists who in 1991 produced the landmark Windhoek Declaration.

  Organized by: International Programme for the Development of Communication (IPDC), Permanent Delegation of the Federal Republic of Germany to the United Nations |  Location: Mission of the Federal Republic of Germany to the United Nations. 10:00-11:30. Journalism on the Move: displaced media workers on the frontline of human rights’ defense

As part of UNESCO’s World Press Freedom Day 2023 , an academic conference will take place at Columbia University in New York on 1 May 2023 as a hybrid event. The academic conference focuses on freedom of expression as a driver for other human rights, linking to UNESCO’s overall theme for World Press Freedom Day 2023. Academia has played an important role in World Press Freedom Day by hosting an academic conference that provides a forum to hear from scholars who research constraints on media freedom in all their complexity. As this is the 30th anniversary of World Press Freedom Day, the first part of this year’s academic conference will provide an opportunity to reflect on and celebrate academia’s contributions to better understanding the challenges of journalism safety and media freedom , as well as looking ahead at how it can contribute to these pressing issues in a future where freedom of expression is being threatened around the world. This interactive workshop will provide an opp...

  Protecting Freedom of Expression through Comparative Global Case Law: Databases to Advance Rights . Location: Satow Room, Lerner Hall, Columbia University. Sponsored by: Columbia GFoE and UNESCO. Speakers: Catalina Botero, Columbia GFoE; Hawley Johnson, Columbia GFoE; Juan Manuel Ospina, Columbia GFoE; Daniel Ospina Celis, Dejusticia; Nelly Chepngetich Rotich, Strathmore University, Natalie Alkiviadou, Future of Free Speech; Alberto Godioli, University of Groningen; Laura Little, Temple University Law School; Raisa Carrillo, Fundación para la Libertad de Prensa; Stephen Townley, Trial Watch, Clooney Foundation for Justice. 9:00 - 10:20 AM. Panel Discussion V - Protecting Freedom of Expression through Comparative Global Case Law, Databases to Advance Rights

  The WSJ. Magazine celebrates eight trailblazing talents at its annual Innovator Awards. Watch each honoree's inspiring story.* Organized by: Wall Street Journal . Location: This panel will be streamed on the wsj.com homepage.

  When freedom of expression and media freedom are stifled, all of our freedoms are at risk. Freedom of expression, the free flow of information and press freedom are therefore preconditions for the realization of the Sustainable Development Goals of Agenda 2030: without them, we cannot eliminate poverty and hunger, preserve biodiversity and promote sustainable development, or build transparent institutions. They are indispensable in the fight for the rights of minorities and marginalized people, to combat all kinds of discrimination , to build diverse and inclusive civic spaces , and to uphold resilient democracies.

  In 1993, the United Nations General Assembly proclaimed 3 May as World Press Freedom Day . This proclamation marked the beginning of substantial progress towards enabling a free press and freedom of expression around the world – with the proliferation of independent media in many countries and the rise of digital technologies enabling the free flow of information online. Three decades have passed, with advancements in the respect for human rights and in related international frameworks. However, media freedom, safety of journalists and freedom of expression are increasingly under attack, which impacts the realization of other human rights. The international community faces multiple crises; conflicts and violence, persistent socio-economic inequalities driving migration, environmental crises and challenges to the health and wellbeing of people all around the world, while disinformation and misinformation online and offline proliferate with serious impact on the institutions...

 Four fundamental freedoms are outlined in the Preamble of the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights : freedom of speech, freedom of belief, freedom from fear, and freedom from want. It is not incidental that freedom of speech comes first: this fundamental freedom is one that enables all others. In the Universal Declaration, freedom of opinion and expression has been further detailed in Article 19 as the right to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers. In the 75 years since the adoption of the Universal Declaration, the right to freedom of expression has been further affirmed and enshrined in numerous international instruments; the 1966 International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights , the 1989 Convention on the Rights of the Child , and the 2006 Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities , among many other global and regional standards. While all human rights are universal, interdependent, indivisibl...

 Over the past 30 years, World Press Freedom Day celebrations have led us on a journey giving prominence to the right to free expression , and emphasizing different angles of the relevance of press freedom .  This journey around the world evolved from discussing:  The role of media in conflict settlement (2000, Switzerland)  Combating racism (2001, Namibia),  The role of media and terrorism (2002, Philippines), The right to information (2004, Serbia),  Media and good governance (2005, Senegal),  Mutual understanding and reconciliation (2009, Qatar),  Gender equality (2015, Latvia),  SDG 16 (2017, Indonesia),   Information as a public good (2021, Windhoek, Namibia)  Digital attacks on journalism (2022, Punta Del Este, Uruguay).  This journey has taken us to the very place where World Press Freedom Day was originally proclaimed, the UN Headquarters, signifying the strong connections within the UN system and the way ...