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Opening remarks by Under-Secretary-General for Communications and Public Information Shashi Tharoor
World Press Freedom Day
3 May 2006
His Excellency Mr. (Acting) President of the General Assembly,
Excellencies,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Friends and Colleagues,
Good morning. For those of you I am yet to meet, I am Shashi Tharoor, the UN’s Under-Secretary-General for Communications and Public Information, and it is my pleasure to welcome you, on behalf of the United Nations Secretariat, to our 2006 commemoration of World Press Freedom Day. Allow me to also offer a special cyber-welcome to everyone joining us through our webcast of this event, which is available on the WPFD website.
World Press Freedom Day exists to remind people everywhere that a free press is not only an essential human right, set out in 1948 in Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
It is also a foundation of democratic and tolerant societies.
It is a day when we draw attention to the fact that the press has the right to do its job, and we all have an obligation to support and protect that right – indeed a vested interest in doing so.
And we also use this day to remind journalists why their work is so important to the world. Journalists work on the front-lines of history, unravelling the tangle of events, giving them shape and giving people a narrative sense of their lives. And they take enormous risks. It is a sad fact that, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists, 47 journalists lost their lives last year in pursuit of the truth.
And, although some may argue that journalists are simply messengers, I would dispute that. The media possesses enormous power. A free, objective and informed media can be one of the most potent means to promote development, justice and tolerance. Indeed, in its best incarnation, journalism can even help kindle the dialogue that allows free societies, composed of many different individuals with many different beliefs and experiences, to function effectively. It does this by speaking truth to power and exposing injustice.
But truth is not simple, and communication is not always straightforward, and the press we all need so desperately is one that does not shy away from stories because they are complicated, or troublesome, or difficult to tell.
So we also seek to remind journalists, on World Press Freedom Day, that they are possessors of loud voices and mighty pens, and that, in the words of John D. Rockefeller Jr. “every right implies a responsibility; every opportunity, an obligation; every possession, a duty.” And we congratulate the press on the way they are performing this duty.
Unfortunately, Secretary-General Annan is unable to be with us today. However I will begin the day’s activities by reading out his message for the international day.
“Information is all around us. With the proliferation of so-called new media, new technologies and new ways of distributing content, information has become far more accessible. It is also becoming more diverse. Mainstream media reporting, for example, is being supplemented by “participatory media” such as blogs.
But as media and journalism evolve, certain bedrock principles remain paramount. On World Press Freedom Day, I again declare my firm support for the universal right to freedom of expression. Many members of the press have been killed, maimed, detained or targeted in other ways for pursuing that right in good conscience.
According to the Committee to Protect Journalists, 47 were killed in 2005, and 11 have lost their lives so far this year. It is tragic and unacceptable that the number of journalists killed in the line of duty has become one of the main indicators of press freedom. I urge all governments to reaffirm their commitment to the right to “seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers”, as set out in Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
At the same time, I appeal to everyone to exercise that right responsibly and, where possible, proactively. Media have a powerful influence on human behaviour. As such, and as the General Assembly affirmed in its recent resolution establishing the new United Nations Human Rights Council, they have “an important role to play in promoting tolerance, respect for and freedom of religion and belief.” Media should not be vehicles for incitement or degradation, or for spreading hatred. It must be possible to exercise discretion without encroaching on fundamental freedoms.
On World Press Freedom Day, let us recognize that national and global media not only report on change, but are themselves agents of change. We should all be grateful for the work and imagination of the press. I trust old and new media alike will be able to continue their work, unencumbered by threats, fear or other constraint.”
Secretary-General Kofi Annan
Our first speaker today is His Excellency, Ambassador Hamidon Ali, Acting President of the General Assembly. Your Excellency, you have the floor.
[Ambassador Ali on behalf of President Eliasson]
Thank you Mr. Acting President. It is now my privilege to offer the floor to His Excellency, Ambassador Mihnea Motoc, Chairman of the U.N. Committee on Information and Permanent Representative of Romania.
[Ambassador Motoc speaks]
Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
And the last of our guest speakers in this first segment of this observance is both an official and a practitioner of the journalist arts. He is Mr. Masood Haider, President of the United Nations Correspondents Association. Masood, the floor is yours.
[Mr. Haider speaks]
Thank you, Masood.
Please bear with us a moment as we play a brief game of musical chairs in preparation for the next segment of our commemoration – our panel discussion.
Press release>>
Video of the panel discussion>>
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