World Press Freedom Day

The United Nations General Assembly declared World Press Freedom Day in December 1993, on the recommendation of the UNESCO General Conference. Since then, the anniversary of the Windhoek Declaration has been observed worldwide on 3 May as World Press Freedom Day.

The history of World Press Freedom Day goes back to a conference held by UNESCO in Windhoek in 1991. The conference was held on May 3 to adopt the historic Windhoek Declaration for the Development of a Free, Independent and Pluralistic Press. Thirty years after the adoption of this declaration, the historical relationship between the freedom to seek, transmit, and receive information, on the one hand, and public benefit, on the other hand, continues to be equally important. A series of celebrations will be held to commemorate the thirtieth anniversary of the adoption of the Declaration during the international conference on World Press Freedom Day.

May 3 serves as a reminder to countries of the need to respect their commitment to press freedom, and is also a day for reflection among media professionals on issues of press freedom and professional ethics. It is an opportunity to:

 1 Celebrate the fundamental principles of press freedom
 2 Assess the state of press freedom around the world
 3 Defending the media from attacks on its independence
 4 We salute the journalists who lost their lives in the performance of their duties