Paris, 25 April—The Director-General of UNESCO, Irina Bokova, will present the 2014 UNESCO/Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize to Turkish investigative reporter, Ahmet Şık during a ceremony at UNESCO Headquarters on Friday 2 May (3 p.m. Room IV). The event will open celebrations for this year’s World Press Freedom Day, held each 3 May

The annual international conference marking the day will also be held at the Organization’s Headquarters this year, on 5 and 6 May, under the theme “Media Freedom for a Better Future, Shaping the Post-2015 Development Agenda”.

UNESCO Deputy Director-General Getachew Engida will open the event with Rémy Pfimlin, CEO of French public broadcaster France Télévisions and Ahmet Şık. The two-day conference will focus on trends in press freedom, the safety of journalists and the fight against impunity, as well as the evolution of public media in southern Mediterranean countries.

<h2>Participants include Florence Aubenas, journalist with French daily newspaper Le Monde; Christophe Deloire, Secretary General of Reporters sans Frontières International; Moez Chakchouk, Director of the Tunisian Internet Agency; Fatuma Noor, investigative reporter with the Nairobi Star (Kenya); Peter Horrocks, Director of the BBC World Service (United Kingdom) and Frank La Rue, United Nations Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression</h2> <h2>Proclaimed by the General Assembly of the United Nations in 1993, World Press Freedom Day celebrates the basic principles of press freedom, takes stock of press freedom around the world, promotes media independence and pays tribute to journalists who have lost their lives on the job.</h2>

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A press conference will take place with the participation of Ahmet Şık on 5 May (11a.m., Room V)

Journalists wishing to cover the event should request accreditation.

Media contact: Agnès Bardon, UNESCO Press Service,

+33 (0) 1 45 68 17 64, a.bardon(at)unesco.org

www.unesco.org