Freedom of Expression is a fundamental human right as stated in Article 19 of the UN Declaration of Human Rights. This is especially worth recalling as we mark the 60th anniversary of that declaration.

At this year’s World Press Freedom Day celebration, UNESCO would like to explore how media freedom and access to information feed into the wider development objective of empowering people. Empowerment is a multi-dimensional social and political process that helps people gain control over their own lives. This can only be achieved through access to accurate, fair and unbiased information, representing a plurality of opinions, and the means to actively communicate vertically and horizontally, thereby participating in the active life of the community.
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Freedom of Expression, Access and Empowerment

Press Freedom contributes to Empowerment In order for citizens to engage in public debate and to hold their governments and others accountable, key elements of living in a participatory democracy, citizens must have access to free, pluralistic, independent and professional media. The idea that communication and dialogue between different members of society will occur naturally cannot be taken for granted, and the media provide a means of access to information and igniting dialogue. >> Read more The role of community media Even though many media outlets have made provisions for audience participation and have therein become more accessible to the people they serve, nowhere is accessibility and specificity of purpose so well defined as with community media. Currently radio is the most widespread form of community media in the developing world because it is cheap to produce and to access, can cover large areas, and overcomes illiteracy. >> Read more Access to information Information can change the way we see the world around us, our place in it, and how to adjust our lives in order to maximize the benefits available through our local resources. Fact driven decision-making can significantly alter our political, social and economic perspectives. The right to access information can be interpreted within the legal frameworks that support Freedom of Information as it applies to information held by public bodies, or in a wider sense to encompass both access and circulation of information held by other actors, where it becomes intrinsically linked to Freedom of Expression. >> Read more

19-02-2009 (Paris) 

UNESCO publishes outcome of 2008 World Press Freedom Day

15-05-2008 (Quito) 

World Press Freedom Day celebration ended in Quito

06-05-2008 (New York) 

UNESCO’s New York Office commemorates World Press Freedom Day

06-05-2008 (Paris) 

More power to people through freedom of information

24-04-2008 (Paris) 

The UK National Commission for UNESCO debates “Is new media killing journalism?” for World Press Freedom Day 2008

23-04-2008 (Paris) 

World Press Freedom Day celebration to focus on access to information and empowerment

09-04-2008 (Paris) 

2008 UNESCO/Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize awarded to Mexican reporter Lydia Cacho Ribeiro

25-03-2008 (Kingston) 

UNESCO supports annual Caribbean Media and Communication Conference

17-03-2008 (Paris) 

Experts meeting at UNESCO to examine the link between freedom of information and sustainable development

Sylvie Coudray

Senior Programme Specialist

Brigitte L'Horty

Assistant