Statement: UN Inter-Agency meeting on the Safety of Journalists and the issue of Impunity

Statement of the meeting of the civil society delegates of the 2nd UN Inter-Agency meeting on the Safety of Journalists and the issue of Impunity

We, the undersigned participants of the meeting of the civil society delegates of the 2nd UN Inter-Agency meeting on the safety of journalists and the issues of impunity, that took place on the 21st of November, 2012:

  • Welcome and endorse the UN Plan of Action on the Safety of Journalists and the Issue of Impunity with the expectation that the United Nations and the member states will engage all stakeholders, including civil society and media, in its implementation in a participatory and inclusive manner;
  • In particular, we welcome the emphasis on the preventative and protective safety measures outlined in the Plan of Action as a starting point to guarantee safety of journalists;
  • We also appreciate the efforts to map and continue to identify good practices with the expectations that they can be shared among civil society and media and replicated where appropriate to inspire the implementation of the Plan of Action;
  • We agree to support the implementation of the Plan of Action in mutual cooperation and partnership among international, regional and national stakeholders, while also monitoring and assessing the Plan’s impact;
  • We expect that the implementation of the UN Action Plan will complement existing and on-going civil society initiatives at the national levels;
  • At the same time, we believe that national mechanisms need to be further developed and strengthened to ensure a broad-based, comprehensive and inclusive approach based on local ownership;
  • We underscore the need to support the establishment of special national and regional mechanisms to address impunity and ensure the effective implementation of such structures where they exist;
  • In the initial phase, while calling on UN and members states’ obligation to prevent attacks and combat impunity globally, we recommend the implementation of the Plan of Action in a comprehensive manner in the countries of Nepal, Iraq, Pakistan, South Sudan, Mexico and Honduras

Signed by:

World Association of Newspapers
International Federation of Journalists
International Press Institute
Committee to Protect Journalists
Reporters Without Borders
Freedom House
ARTICLE 19
Intermedia, Pakistan
Open Society Foundations
International Media Support
Doha Centre for Media Freedom
Free Press Unlimited
IREX
Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung
Media Program South East Europe
Media Legal Defence Initiative
Press Emblem Campaign
World Press Freedom Committee
International News Safety Institute
Centre for Freedom of the Media
Syrian Journalists Association
PEN International
Index on Censorship

The 2nd UN Meeting on the Safety of Journalists and Impunity is held in Vienna from 22- 23 Nov. as part of international efforts to stem this violence. The aim of the meeting is to define the implementation strategy for the UN Plan of Action on the Safety of Journalists and the Issue of Impunity between 2013 – 2015.

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