Awareness raising initiatives for freedom of expression and safety of journalists
UNESCO coordinates the commemorations of World Press Freedom Day (3 May), the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists (2 November) and the International Day for Universal Access to Information (28 September). Through global, regional, and national events, including awareness raising campaigns and coalition building initiatives, UNESCO brings together all actors involved to address the most pressing challenges to freedom of expression, the safety of journalists and the issue of impunity, and access to information.
These commemorations also serve to create partnerships, launch new initiatives and reinforce political commitment through the adoption of important commitments on media freedom and access to information, such as the .
World Press Freedom Day Global Conference 2022
The 2022 World Press Freedom Day Global Conference brought together close to a thousand participants in Punta del Este, Uruguay from 86 countries. A total of around 3.400 registered to join more than 60 sessions online and offline during the three days. The Conference was an action platform for partners and stakeholders to come together and identify solutions for the most pressing challenges of the digital era and develop concrete solutions to address the threats posed by increased surveillance to press freedom and privacy.
IDUAI over time: Access to Information and its international recognition from 2016 to 2022
Equal and Universal Access to Information is essential to promote human rights and dignity, to eradicate poverty and to build inclusive knowledge societies. The International Day for Universal Access to Information aims at spreading awareness concerning the need to expand laws related to information and their actual implementation. The expansion of these laws helps in building inclusive institutions access the world. UNESCO declared on 17 November 2015 that the International Day for Universal Access to Information will be marked and celebrated on 28 September every year. The 74th UN General Assembly proclaimed 28 September as the International Day for Universal Access to Information (IDUAI) at the UN level in October 2019. Since 2016, the celebration of the International Day for Universal Access supported by UNESCO spanned from 20 to 26 countries, spreading awareness on our Right to Access Information.
