freedom_exp_woman.jpg
As the only United Nations agency with a mandate to promote freedom of the press, UNESCO works to ensure the protection, respect and fulfilment of press freedom, and the rights and safety of journalists.
The Organization specifically encourages the development of free, independent and pluralistic media, across all platforms, and fosters journalism practices that operate with professional ethics and self-regulatory principles.
UNESCO’s people-centered approach to defending freedom of expression includes the implementation of journalism training programmes, initiatives to promote gender equity in the media, the advancement of media and information literacy, and the development of community media in some of the most rural and remote parts of the world.
The Organization’s work in this field is part of its mission to defend freedom of expression, one of the foundations upon which democracies are built, and an inalienable human right set down in Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.