SG/SM/7768
OBV/206
16 April 2001
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SG/SM/7768 |
UN LEADERS DESCRIBE FREE PRESS AS
ESSENTIAL FOR DEVELOPMENT,
IN JOINT WORLD PRESS FREEDOM DAY MESSAGE
Following is
the text of a joint message, on the occasion of World Press Freedom Day (3 May
2001), from Secretary-General Kofi Annan; the Director-General of the United
Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), Koichiro
Matsuura; and the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Mary
Robinson:
A
free press is one of the most essential components of a democratic society,
which, in turn, is a prerequisite for sustainable social and economic
development.
This
fact has become more and more widely understood and accepted in the
10
years since 3 May 1991, when African journalists gathered in the Namibian
capital, Windhoek, for a regional seminar on promoting independent and pluralist
media. The Windhoek Declaration
became the first in a series of commitments, region by region, to uphold the
freedom of people everywhere to voice their opinions, and their access to a
variety of independent sources of information.
Since
1991, the press in many countries has become more independent and pluralistic.
The airwaves have been liberalized. Journalists and others working in the
media have become more professional. And,
thanks to the Internet, more and more people have gained direct access
to the means of mass communication. These
changes have helped to establish and strengthen democracy in many
countries, by enabling citizens to make their voices heard and so to play a part
in decisions that shape their own
lives and the future of their countries.
Yet,
freedom of expression is always fragile and can never be taken for granted. In many parts of the world today, it is threatened by
political, economic, financial, military, religious or even criminal interests.
Journalists whose work challenges such interests are liable to suffer
intimidation, violence, exile, prison, and even execution or simple murder.
Meanwhile,
many ethnic and religious groups -- usually minorities -- are prevented from
using the media to communicate their views or express their identity.
Experience
has shown that even the most heinous regimes can gain popular support if they
manage to muzzle the media, or to manipulate it to arouse fear and hatred among
their citizens. Free, independent
and pluralist media have an indispensable role to play in rooting out
racism and xenophobia. We hope that
this year's World Conference against Racism, Xenophobia, Racial Discrimination
and Related Intolerance will find ways to strengthen free media throughout the
world, and will remind media professionals of their vital role in educating the
public and fostering peace and mutual respect among peoples.
On this World
Press Freedom Day 2001, we call upon
decision-makers at all levels to do whatever they can to ensure that journalists
can pursue their work unhindered and undeterred, so that people throughout the
world can benefit from the free flow of ideas.
We urge journalists to adhere
to the highest standards of their profession; to refuse to lend their skills to
hate-mongering; and always to uphold the principle of impartiality.
And we urge
the international community as a whole to defend and protect a fundamental human
right – the right to receive and impart information free from censorship,
through any media and regardless of frontiers.
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