International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists
Between 2006 and 2024, over 1,700 journalists have been killed around the world, with close to 9 out of 10 cases of these killings remaining judicially unresolved, according to the UNESCO Observatory of Killed Journalists. Impunity leads to more killings and is often a symptom of worsening conflict and the breakdown of law and judicial systems. UNESCO is concerned that impunity damages whole societies by covering up serious human rights abuses, corruption, and crime. Governments, civil society, the media, and everyone concerned to uphold the rule of law are being asked to join in the global efforts to end impunity.
It is in recognition of the far-reaching consequences of impunity, especially of crimes against journalists, that the United Nations General Assembly adopted Resolution at its 68th session in 2013 which proclaimed 2 November as the ‘International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists’ (IDEI). The Resolution urged Member States to implement definite measures countering the present culture of impunity. The date was chosen in commemoration of the assassination of two French journalists in Mali on 2 November 2013.
Every two years, the awareness raising campaign for the commemoration of the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists coincides with the findings of the UNESCO Director-General’s Report outlining the current state of global and regional impunity.
International Day to End Impunity for Crimes Against Journalists 2024
2024 Global Commemoration and Day of Action: Safety of Journalists in Crises and Emergencies
6 - 7 November 2024
African Union Headquarters, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
There's a story behind the story
Every four days, a journalist is killed while searching for the truth. 85% of these deaths remain unpunished. We won't let them go unnoticed.
On the occasion of the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes Against Journalists, UNESCO is launching a global campaign calling for justice. It's time to change the story. It's time to #EndImpunity.
Follow and share the campaign on social media.
2024 UNESCO Director-General Report on the Safety of Journalists and the Issue of Impunity
"Journalists are essential to preserving the fundamental right to freedom of expression, set out in Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. When attacks against journalists go unpunished, the legal system and safety frameworks have failed everyone."
"When it comes to protecting journalists, everyone has a part to play. If we are complacent, if we look away, we are part of the problem."
"Stand Up for Truth, Justice, Human Rights."
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