UNESCO WORLD A free press can, of course, be good or bad, but, PRESS most certainly without freedom, the press will never FREEDOM be anything but bad. DAY Albert Camus, author

World Press Freedom Day was proclaimed by the UN General Assembly in Dec. 1993, following the recommendation of UNESCO‘s General Conference. Since then, 3 May, the anniversary of the Declaration of is celebrated worldwide as World Press Freedom Day. DECLARATION OF WINDHOEK Source: http://www.un.org/en/events/pressfreedomday/windhoek.shtml

The Declaration of Windhoek is a statement of free The was a call to arms to protect press principles put together by newspaper journalists the fundamental principles of the freedom of expression in during a UNESCO seminar on »Promoting an as enshrined in Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Independent and Pluralistic African Press« in Windhoek, Human Rights, which states: » Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; Namibia, from 29 April to 3 May 1991. This document calls for free, independent, pluralistic this right includes – freedom to hold opinions without inter- media worldwide, characterizing free press as essential ference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas to democracy and as a fundamental human right. through any media and regardless of frontiers.«

TEXT OF THE DECLARATION We the participants in the United Nations/United Nations 8. The General Assembly of the United Nations should 16. As a matter of urgency, the United Nations and Educational, Scientifi c and Cultural Organization Seminar include in the agenda of its next session an item on the UNESCO, and particularly the International Programme on Promoting an Independent and Pluralistic African Press, declaration of censorship as a grave violation of human rights for the Development of Communication (IPDC), should held in Windhoek,Namibia, from 29 April to 3 May 1991, falling within the purview of the Commission on Human initiate detailed research, in co-operation with governmental Rights. (especially UNDP) and non-governmental donor agencies, Recalling the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, (...) relevant non-governmental organizations and professional 9. African States should be encouraged to provide Declare that: associations, into the following specifi c areas: constitutional guarantees of and 1. Consistent with article 19 of the Universal Declaration freedom of association. (i) identifi cation of economic barriers to the establishment of Human Rights, the establishment, maintenance and of news media outlets, including restrictive import duties, 10. To encourage and consolidate the positive changes fostering of an independent, pluralistic and free press tariffs and quotas for such things as newsprint, printing taking place in Africa, and to counter the negative ones, is essential to the development and maintenance of equipment, and typesetting and word processing machi- the international community - specifi cally international democracy in a nation and for economic development. nery, and taxes on the sale of newspapers, as a prelude organizations (governmental as well as non-governmental), to their removal; 2. By an independent press, we mean a press independent development agencies and professional associations – from governmental, political or economic control or from should as a matter of priority direct funding support (ii) training of journalists and managers and the availability control of materials and infrastructure essential for the towards the development and establishment of non-go- of professional training institutions and courses; production and dissemination of newspapers, magazines vernmental newspapers, magazines and periodicals that (iii) legal barriers to the recognition and effective operation and periodicals. refl ect the society as a whole and the different of trade unions or associations of journalists, editors and points of view within the communities they serve. 3. By a pluralistic press, we mean the end of monopolies publishers; of any kind and the existence of the greatest possible 11. All funding should aim to encourage pluralism as (iv) a register of available funding from development and number of news papers, magazines and periodicals refl ecting well as independence. As a consequence, the public media other agencies, the conditions attaching to the release of the widest possible range of opinion within the community. should be funded only where authorities guarantee a such funds, and the methods of applying for them; constitutional and effective and 4. The welcome changes that an increasing number expression and the independence of the press. (v) the state of press freedom, country by country, in of African States are now undergoing towards multi-party Africa. democracies provide the climate in which an independent 12. To assist in the preservation of the freedoms enu- and pluralistic press can emerge. merated above, the establishment of truly independent, 17. In view of the importance of radio and television representative associations, syndicates or trade unions in the fi eld of news and information, the United Nations 5. The world-wide trend towards democracy and of journalists, and associations of editors and publishers, and UNESCO are invited to recommend to the General freedom of information and expression is a fundamental is a matter of priority in all the countries of Africa where Assembly and the General Conference the convening of contribution to the fulfi lment of human aspirations. such bodies do not now exist. a similar seminar of journalists and managers of radio 6. In Africa today, despite the positive developments and television services in Africa, to explore the possibility 13. The national media and labour relations laws of in some countries, in many countries journalists, editors and of applying similar concepts of independence and pluralism African countries should be drafted in such a way as to publishers are victims of repression—they are murdered, to those media. ensure that such representative associations can exist arrested, detained and censored, and are restricted by and fulfi l their important tasks in defence of press freedom. 18. The international community should contribute to economic and political pressures such as restrictions on the achievement and implementation of the initiatives newsprint, licensing systems which restrict the opportunity 14. As a sign of good faith, African Governments that and projects set out in the annex to this Declaration. to publish, visa restrictions which prevent the free have jailed journalists for their professional activities movement of journalists, restrictions on the exchange should free them immediately. Journalists who have had 19. This Declaration should be presented by the of news and information, and limitations on the circulation to leave their countries should be free to return to resume Secretary-General of the United Nations to the United of newspapers within countries and across national their professional activities. Nations General Assembly, and by the Director-General borders. In some countries, one-party States control the of UNESCO to the General Conference of UNESCO. 15. Co-operation between publishers within Africa, and totality of information. between publishers of the North and South (for example 7. Today, at least 17 journalists, editors or publishers through the principle of twinning), should be encouraged ANNEX are in African prisons, and 48 African journalists were and supported. (...) killed in the exercise of their profession between 1969 and 1990. Ninth of more prints © 2017 by

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