Every year, May 3 marks World Press Freedom Day, 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.

It is a date to encourage and develop initiatives in favour of press freedom, and to assess the state of press freedom worldwide.

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 on media pluralism and independence.

At the core of UNESCO's mandate is freedom of the press and freedom of expression. UNESCO believes that these freedoms allow for mutual understanding to build a sustainable peace.

It serves as an occasion to inform citizens of violations of press freedom – a reminder that in dozens of countries around the world, publications are censored, fined, suspended and closed down, while journalists, editors and publishers are harassed, attacked, detained and even murdered.

This year’s World Press Freedom Day theme “Information as a Public Good” serves as a call to affirm the importance of cherishing information as a public good, and exploring what can be done in the production, distribution and reception of content to strengthen journalism, and to advance transparency and empowerment while leaving no one behind. The theme is of urgent relevance to all countries across the world. It recognizes the changing communications system that is impacting on our health, our human rights, democracies and sustainable development.

To underline the importance of information within our online media environment, WPFD 2021 highlighted three key topics:

• Steps to ensure the economic viability of news media;
• Mechanisms for ensuring transparency of Internet companies; 
• Enhanced Media and Information Literacy (MIL) capacities that enable people to recognize and value, as well as defend and demand, journalism as a vital part of information as a public good.
• UNESCO and the Government of Namibia hosted the WPFD 2021 Global Conference from 29 April – 3 May in Windhoek. The event was a physical and digital experience combining virtual and in-presence participation.

The Conference called for urgent attention to the threat of extinction faced by local news media around the world, a crisis worsened by the COVID-19 pandemic. It put forward ideas to tackle the challenges of our online media environment, push for more transparency of internet companies, strengthen safety of journalists, and improve their working conditions. The Conference also called to support independent media and empower citizens to face these challenges.

The UN Secretary-General António Guterres shared the following message:

In too many countries, journalists & media workers face censorship, abuse, harassment, detention & even death, simply for doing their jobs.

On #WorldPressFreedomDay, I urge all governments to do everything in their power to support a free, independent and diverse media. pic.twitter.com/FBv5fCkbCY

— António Guterres (@antonioguterres) May 2, 2021

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