By Edna Ezinneamaka Onunaku
The Director-General of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), Ms Audrey Azoulay, has decried the spate at which journalists are harassed and killed in the course of their duties. She made this known in her message on the occasion of the International Day to end impunity for crimes against journalists today.
Ms Azoulay, who described journalists as speakers of truth, stated that nine in 10 killings remain unresolved, while three in four women journalists have experienced online harassment according to UNESCO data.
While she noted that there have been developed guidelines and toolkits, training of over 24,000 judicial actors and 11,500 law enforcement and security officials on issues related to freedom of expression and the security of journalists, including in the digital world at the UNESCO, journalists continue to be killed at an alarming rate, she said.
In her words, “This year, we mark the 10th anniversary of the United Nations Plan of Action on the Safety of Journalists and the Issue of Impunity.
“This groundbreaking document was adopted to acknowledge the vital work journalists do – for example when they report on conflicts and crises, or when they inquire into the workings of power and investigate corruption and other forms of injustice – as well as the risks they face when doing this.
“Indeed, the safety of journalists, their freedom of expression and the free flow of information are pillars of democratic life, and a prerequisite for all human rights. This is why, in 2012, the international community endorsed this Plan of Action to protect journalists, prevent crimes against them and pursue their perpetrators.
“To achieve these goals, we must work collectively. And much progress has been made, by Member States, United Nations agencies, international organizations, judicial actors and civil society, to implement concrete measures nationally, regionally and globally.”
Despite these efforts, “955 journalists have lost their lives since 2012. Seventy-one have been killed since January, making 2022 already the deadliest year since 2018, according to our Observatory, ” she said.
She, therefore, called on the renewal of the commitment to protecting journalists everywhere, all the time. “The international conference taking place in Vienna on 3 and 4 November to celebrate this 10th anniversary will be an opportunity to take our collective action further – to strengthen cooperation and synergies to replicate good practice, to improve monitoring and information sharing, to build the capacities of all actors – so we can better tackle the challenges,” she has noted.
The International Day to end impunity for crimes against journalists is held every Nov 2.
