Opinion column by Juan Prandi for La Colonia
Every year, May 3 is a date on which the fundamental principles of press freedom are celebrated. This date provides an opportunity to evaluate press freedom worldwide, to defend the media from attacks on their independence, as well as to pay tribute to journalists who have lost their lives in the performance of their profession.
A date to promote and develop initiatives in favor of press freedom and to assess the state of press freedom around the world
World Press Freedom Day was proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly in 1993, in compliance with a recommendation adopted at the 26th session of the UNESCO General Conference in 1991. This, in turn, was a response to a call by African journalists who in 1991 produced the historic Windhoek Declaration on pluralism and the independence of the media. Freedom of the press and freedom of expression are at the core of UNESCO’s mandate. UNESCO believes that these freedoms allow mutual understanding to build sustainable peace. It serves as an occasion to inform citizens of press freedom violations, a reminder that in dozens of countries around the world publications are censored, fined, suspended and shut down, while journalists, publishers and editors are harassed , attacked, arrested and even killed.
It is a date to promote and develop initiatives in favor of press freedom and to assess the state of press freedom around the world.
May 3 serves to remind governments of the need to respect their commitment to press freedom and is also a day of reflection among media professionals on issues related to press freedom and professional ethics. Equally important, World Press Freedom Day is a day of support for the media that is subject to restriction or abolition of press freedom. It is also a day of remembrance for journalists who have lost their lives in pursuit of a story.
The highlight for Uruguay
With a “very high” international image in terms of freedom of expression, Uruguay faces the hours leading up to the 2022 World Press Freedom Day Conference, organized by UNESCO and held since Monday in Punta del Este (southeast ).
This was stated to Efe by the Minister of Education and Culture, Pablo da Silveira, who highlighted the support of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (Unesco) for Uruguay to host an event that It has been celebrated in Latin America since 2013. “It is a great honor (that UNESCO) has decided to make it Uruguay and that it has also done so with enthusiasm,” emphasized the minister. Likewise, he indicated that it is good “in many ways” that this meeting takes place in Uruguay, because the country will receive a large number of people from more than 80 countries.
«This favors the visibility of Uruguay, the construction of networks and links throughout the world. In addition, it has a very positive economic effect in the cities where it occurs », he said. The minister referred to the central venue of the event, the tourist Punta del Este, as well as to Colonia del Sacramento, whose Historic District has been a World Heritage Site since 1995, and the capital, Montevideo, where the participants will be able to enjoy various cultural events.
“Journalism under digital siege”
UNESCO and Uruguay hold a conference between May 2 and 5 on the impact of the digital age on freedom of expression, the safety of journalists, privacy and access to information. Entitled “Journalism under digital siege”, the event will take place at the Punta del Este Convention Center and will be opened by the President of Uruguay, Luis Lacalle Pou, and the Director General of UNESCO, Audrey Azoulay.
During the first day of the conference, the 2022 UNESCO/Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize award ceremony will be held, which went to the Belarusian Association of Journalists. Among the names that will be present, stand out Shoshana Zuboff, author of the book “The Age of Surveillance Capitalism” (The era of surveillance capitalism); Will Carthart, director of WhatsApp, and Frances Haugen, activist for the transparency of social media platforms and former employee of Meta.
Also participating, among other experts, will be Irene Khan, United Nations Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression; the president of the Inter-American Court of Human Rights, Ricardo Pérez Manrique, and Pedro Vaca, special rapporteur for Freedom of Expression of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights. This date provides the opportunity to evaluate press freedom worldwide, to defend the media from attacks on their independence, as well as to pay tribute to journalists who have lost their lives in the performance of their profession”, he explains. UNESCO on its website.
“It is a great opportunity because it is an activity of great importance and to which much attention is paid throughout the world,” Da Silveira highlighted months ago when speaking of the activity, which he estimated would be attended by between 2,000 and 3,000 people from abroad.
Undoubtedly, it means an honor for our country to host this instance, it represents one of the unbreakable rights of our democracy, and we should feel proud about this condition of our society, the world press freedom day, clearly is not just another day .
Juan Prandi
