Excellencies, Distinguished panellists, Ladies and gentlemen,
 
I thank UNESCO and Greece for organizing this event, and I commend the Group of Friends for their continued engagement on the issue of the safety of journalists.
 
It is a great pleasure to address you today on behalf of Secretary-General.
 
Upholding the right to freedom of expression, guaranteed by Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, is one of the bedrocks of society and is crucial for advancing democracy, development and peace.
 
Without freedom of expression, and particularly freedom of the press, an informed, active and engaged citizenry is impossible. Early warning of emerging crises is stifled and knowledge of abuses is kept hidden. 
 
In contrast, in a climate where journalists and media workers are safe and free to carry out their work, citizens gain the information they need to address their everyday challenges.
 
Freedom of expression and free media are essential to fostering understanding and dialogue and in advancing our overall efforts to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.
 
Indeed, the safety of journalists is now recognized as an indicator of sustainable development.  Measuring public access to information is a key part of how we assess progress on building peaceful and inclusive societies.
 
When Article is upheld, and journalists can safely perform their vital role, many other rights and freedoms are much more likely to be possible as well.
 
Unfortunately, the trend around the world is not going in the right direction and, in too many cases where journalists face risks in trying to perform their vital functions, impunity prevails.  Between 2006 and 2016, 930 journalists and media workers were killed.  Ninety per cent of those cases remain unresolved.
 
Attacks against journalists also include torture, enforced disappearance, arbitrary arrest and arbitrary detention, and other acts of violence – in conflict and non-conflict settings.
 
Women journalists face specific threats such as sexual assault, intimidation and harassment, both online and offline. With women already under-represented in the profession, such gender-based attacks have a chilling effect.
 
This year’s report by the Secretary-General to the General Assembly focuses on the safety of women journalists. It outlines a gender-sensitive approach aimed at shifting deeply entrenched social and cultural norms that reinforce harmful gender stereotypes and perpetuate women’s subordination to men.
 
Beyond the need for political will from Governments and other parts of the society, in his report, the Secretary-General calls for measures encompassing monitoring and analysis, legal protection, accountability, awareness-raising, medical support and, not least, empowering women to protect themselves.
 
Ladies and Gentlemen,
 
Promoting the safety of journalists and fighting impunity cannot be limited to denouncing killings once they have happened. In light of the growing threats faced by journalists, the Secretary-General believes that within the UN system – we too -need to intensify our efforts and act earlier on.  Promoting the safety of journalists and fighting impunity should not be limited to after-the-fact or fragmented actions from our part. It requires us to work collectively and preventively to address the root causes of this violence.
 
For this reason, the Secretary-General is mobilizing to establish a UN Network of Focal Points on the Safety of Journalists, as an interagency platform to jointly identify how the UN system can better assist, based on the mandate provide to them, to improve the safety of journalists, including at the country level.
 
I will end by saying that we are committed to helping to create the environment journalists need to perform their vital work and look forward engaging further with you to see how we can work together to achieve this goal together.
 
Thank you.