World Press Freedom Day

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 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 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.

    On May 5, 2025; From 9:30 – 11:30; Roundtable on gender and intersectional approaches to the safety of Journalists. Organizers: Article 19 , Global Affairs Canada , Media Freedom Rapid Response , Association of European Journalists Belgium . Venue: Embassy of Canada, Av. des Arts 58, 1000 Brussels. Register here

SPEAK FREELY, LISTEN RESPECTFULLY,DIFFERENT OPINIONS MATTER. Difference Day saw the light in 2015, ten years ago. Difference Day 2025 is celebrating its first decennium with a festive edition that will take place at Bozar on Friday 2 May 2025 - a day before the World Press Freedom Day. The theme of the event is 'Speak Freely, Listen Respectfully, Different Opinions Matter': the general heading under which Difference Day first took the stage. Difference Day always takes place on World Press Freedom Day, which was declared by the United Nations in 1993 to raise awareness of the importance of press freedom and remind governments to respect their duty to uphold the right to freedom of expression. In 2025, Difference Day therefore continues to honour people, institutions and organisations that make a difference in propagating and promoting freedom of expression, but without absolutising it. Register to participate!

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 13:30 – 15:30; Parallel event entitled "Gen-AI and media self-regulation in Southeast Europe." Organizer: UNESCO Southeast Europe Antenna Office , Reporters without Borders , Journalism Trust Initiative . Venue: Square Brussels Convention Center . Registration - closed event- Contact: Joshua Massarenti

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  

May 6, 2025 - From 09:30 - 11:00 (coffee/tea as of 9.00 am) Panel discussion entitled '' Donor Drought and News Deserts : Towards Joint Solutions to the Global Funding Crisis of Independent Media." Organizers: UNESCO, DW Akademie, International Fund for Public Interest Media , Thomson Reuters Foundation , and Global Forum for Media Development. Venue: BIP Meeting center, Salle des Guichets. Rue Royale 2/4, 1000 Bruxelles, Belgium. Register here . Contact: Saorla McCabe , Lucie Gürtler .

May 6, 2025 - From 17:00 – 19:00; Parallel event entitled ''Artificial intelligence and journalism - How media are covering and using AI in Latin America." Organizers: Asociación de Entidades Periodísticas Argentinas (ADEPA) , Fundación para la Libertad de Prensa (FLIP) , International Fund for Public Interest Media (IFPIM) , Momentum – Journalism and Tech Task Force and UNESCO Montevideo Office | Interpretation: English, Spanish Venue: Friedrich Ebert Stiftung, rue de Taciturne 38 Contact: Rosa Maria Gonzalez Link to register here Link to programme in English and Spanish

  May 5, 2025 - From 9:00 – 17:00  - World Press Freedom Day Academic Conference . Organizers: UNESCO, Erasmushogeschool Brussel (EhB) Venue: Erasmushogeschool Brussel – Kanal Campus  Programme here Contact: John Bosco Mayiga

  *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.

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...

  On World Press Freedom Day 2023 , join the High Level Panel of Legal Experts on Media Freedom and special guests for the launch of the Report on International Standards related to Blasphemy Laws and Media Freedom. The event is organized together with Columbia University Global Freedom of Expression and co-sponsored by PEN America. The report is authored by Karuna Nundy, member of the High Level Panel, and is the result of close collaboration with leading academic institutions from around the world. It examines national laws r egulating speech that is characterized as ‘blasphemous’ and assesses the compatibility of those laws with media freedom. Reflecting on the right of journalists to operate free from control, censorship and harassment , this Panel will discuss the findings and recommendations of the Report. - 10:45 - 11:55 Panel Discussion VI - Media Freedom in the Face of Blasphemy Laws

The event will be a participatory fishbowl session on radical approaches to saving journalism - stirred and peppered by a diverse group of experts from around the world. We will bring together journalists, media freedom advocates, academics, and think tank experts who care about action and change. We will listen to ideas and insights on the future of journalism with a particular focus on transitional and fragile countries. We will look at systemic solutions to the business model crisis and discuss what strategies are working to help journalism survive and thrive . The discussion will be followed by a reception with drinks and light snacks. 15:30-17:30 Radical Approaches to Saving Journalism: A Global Perspective . Organized by: Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA), Deutsche Welle Akademie (DWA), BBC Media Action, Center for Media Assistance (CIMA), Global Forum for Media Development (GFMD), Samir Kassir Foundation, and the Association of Foreign Pre...