Speech by
Mr. luc stevens, UN Resident Coordinator
on the occasion of
International World press freedom Day
5 May, 2008
Your Excellency Mr. Nasser Judeh, Minister of State for Media Affairs and Communication,
Distinguished guests,
Ladies and gentlemen,
In 1993, the UN General Assembly declared the third of May of every year, as the “World Press Freedom Day”, recognising that a free, pluralistic and independent press is an essential component of any democratic society.
Throughout the world, this day now serves as an occasion to inform the public of the important role media plays in helping people gain control over their own lives.
This year’s World Press Freedom Day coincides with the 60th anniversary of the UN Declaration of Human Rights, and as we mark it today, we underline Freedom of Expression as a fundamental human right as stated in Article 19 of this declaration.
Access to accurate, fair and unbiased information,representing a plurality of opinions, which we describe as media freedom, are the essential ingredients that can feed into the wider development objectives of empowering people and communities.
In order to make this a reality, what is required is a combination of a regulatory environment that allows for an open and pluralistic media to emerge together with a political will to support the sector and rule of law to protect it.
These elements, along with media professionals adhering to the highest ethical standards, serve as the fundamental infrastructure and create the environment in which freedom of expression can thrive. On this basis, media serves as a watchdog, alongside civil society which engages with authorities and decision-makers. Media do enable citizens to be informed and to participate in their society, which generates real empowerment.
Accurate and unbiased reporting is the best defence against ignorance and uninformed decision-making. Media plays a central role as the conduit for information and is a potential catalyst for activism and change in society.
Unfortunately, press freedom is still not guaranteed in many parts of the world, and journalists face many challenges that must be overcome.
We must not forget that Freedom of Information is at the heart of a participatory democracy and the transparency it promotes, has a direct consequence on fighting corruption, which in turn has a tangible impact on development.
It is unquestionable that information can change the way we see the world around us and our place in it. Media has a big role: it can serve its community and also empower it to be a full partner in the democratic process.
In Jordan, the UN agencies work in complimentarity with each other as well as with a wide range of Jordanian partners to provide continuous support to promoting an enabling environment for freedom of expression and freedom of information. They all provide support, in one form or another, to ensure the availability of quality and reliable data at the national and sub-national levels on vulnerable groups, including children and women. In doing so, the UN promotes transparency, improves priority and benchmark setting, and facilitates targeting and monitoring of social programmes.
UNESCO is the lead UN agency in the country mandated to empower local media. Through its work, UNESCO strengthens media accountability, ethics, transparency, gender sensitivity and improves professional standards.
The United Nations in Jordan is proud to celebrate this special day and wishes to honour three Jordanian journalists who have worked towards the theme of this celebration and who have been nominated to the UN by local media outlets in recognition for their efforts in the freedom of press for development issues. I congratulate them and encourage others to follow their steps.
I would also like to take this opportunity to thank our panel members for kindly accepting to participate in the session to follow this celebration on “Freedom of Expression, Access and Empowerment”, which I encourage you to attend.
Thank you.
Mr. Luc Steven's speech in Arabic