Video Message from Ms Irina Bokova, Director-General of UNESCO on the occasion of World Press Freedom Day, 3 May 2014
Ladies and Gentlemen,
World Press Freedom Day is the day when we raise the flag for freedom of expression, online and offline.
This is the day when we stand up for the safety of journalists and combat impunity across the world.
It is the day when we make our voices heard so that every woman and man can speak out, so that all may be empowered through access to information.
These rights are essential for human dignity -- they are also vital for all other rights, for good governance, democracy and the rule of law, for inclusive and sustainable development.
This is why the theme of this World Press Freedom Day is Media Freedom for a Better Future: Shaping the Post-2015 Development Agenda.
This is why UNESCO is acting across the world -- to protect freedom of expression and support media development, to enhance the safety of journalists, spearheading the United Nations Plan of Action on the Safety of Journalists and the Issue of Impunity.
On this World Press Freedom Day, I call on all Governments and all women and men to stand with us -- to bolster freedom of expression today and tomorrow, as we set a new global sustainable development agenda to follow 2015.
Irina Bokova
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