World Press Freedom Day Global Conference

This year’s World Press Freedom Day Global Conference brought together 2,100 participants in Santiago, Chile from 116 countries.  

 A total of around 2.500 registered to join the more than 70 sessions organized by partners and bringing together over 115 speakers.  

• Key outcomes, launches and highlights  

• Launch of UNESCO data and trends in attacks against journalists covering the environment. 44 journalists killed in the last 15 years and 749 attacks. Read here. 
• The Academic Conference, co-organized by Universidad de Chile and Pontifícia Universidad Católica de Chile, gathered 550 participants, and 176 speakers from 37 countries. Read more. 
• In over 50 countries around the world, diverse events and initiatives marked World Press Freedom Day, from seminars, workshops to exhibitions and campaigns. 
• Youth Multimedia Room,  32 journalists, influencers and online activists covering the conference. See this video, and read 30+ articles on their webpage. 
• Over 100 judges, including judges and prosecutors from different countries, participated in the high-level workshop for the judiciary at the Supreme Court of Chile. Journalists, law enforcement officers and international experts on environmental issues also attended the event. Read here.  

The Conference served as an action platform for partners and stakeholders to come together and identify the importance of journalism and freedom of expression in the context of the current global environmental crisis and solutions for the most pressing challenges. Some of the key announcements that were made include:  

• A Joint Declaration issued by Presidents of UN bodies: the UN General Assembly, UNESCO General Conference, ECOSOC and the Human Rights Council. Available in English, French and Spanish. 
• Joint Declaration on the Climate Crisis and Freedom of Expression by the freedom of expression mandate holders of the UN, OSCE, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights and the African Commission on Human and People’s Rights. Read here. 
• The Conference ended with a Ministerial Declaration signed by 30 countries to reaffirm the commitment to a free press, a vibrant public discourse and the flourishing of democratic societies. 
• Following the event and based on these statements and other information, UNESCO is developing a Roadmap for the future that includes a set of actions on protecting journalists covering the environment and combating climate change dis- and misinformation, leading up to COP30 in Brazil.  

Additionally, UNESCO and partner organizations used the occasion of WPFD to launch publications, initiatives and trainings to address the importance of journalism and freedom of expression in the context of the current global environmental crisis. These included, amongst others:  

• Launch of OECD Report “Facts not Fakes: Tackling Disinformation, Strengthening Information Integrity” 
• International Fund for Public Interest Media Call for funding proposals - at least $5 million in grant funding will be available globally through this open call. Individual grants awarded to media organizations will provide approximately $250,000 USD in funding over 24 months. 

• Global Forum for Media Development Summit on the OECD DAC Principles on Relevant and Effective Support to Media and the Information Environment in Latin America and the Caribbean.