Phnom Penh World Press Freedom Day 2010 Celebration
05-05-2010 12:35 am World Press Freedom Day is celebrated across the globe every May 3rd, representing an opportunity to commemorate the fundamental principles of press freedom and to pay solemn tribute to journalists who have lost their lives in the line of duty.
In Phnom Penh, The World Press Freedom Day 2010 has been celebrated on 4 May with a whole-day conference that UNESCO and the UN Office for Human Rights has co-organised in collaboration with the Ministry of Information and in cooperation with the Press Council of Cambodia (PCC), the Club of Cambodian Journalists (CCJ), the Cambodian Centre for Independent Media (CCIM) and the Department of Media and Communications (DMC).
The celebration has been held at the National Institute of Education (NIE) and invited speakers at the event have been representatives of the Cambodian Media, members of the Cambodian government, members of the donor community and NGO’s, media students, and members of the Cambodian indigenous and Cham communities.
After a minute of silence suggested by Mr. Teruo Jinnai, UNESCO Representative in Cambodia to honor the journalists who paid with their lives for our right to know, each panelist has focused on this year’s WPFD topic “Freedom of Information: The Right to Know” and approximate 200 participants have been invited to interact and explore the importance of freedom of information as an integral part of freedom of expression and democratic governance in Cambodia.
As a very exclusive and unparalleled event, an afternoon session has taken place for all the Cambodian Journalists Associations and Clubs to discuss about the Common Code of Ethics for Journalists in Cambodia, and to draft and issue a “Cambodian Declaration on Freedom of Information”.
A video-clip, produced within the collaboration, hard-work and enthusiasm of the Cambodian media students, the indigenous young people working at the UNESCO promoted Ratanakiri Community Radio, and the Cham Iman San community has been shoot, bringing to the event the opinions, the perspective, and the concerns related to 'Freedom of information in Cambodia' from different areas of the country and their diverse communities.
Key actors in the Cambodian media sector have participated in this conference willing to join forces to promote Freedom of Information in Cambodia by strengthening the local institutions, by providing the necessary training for information professionals and community media developers, and by fostering greater open-ness within Cambodian public sectors and greater awareness among the Cambodian public.
In Phnom Penh, The World Press Freedom Day 2010 has been celebrated on 4 May with a whole-day conference that UNESCO and the UN Office for Human Rights has co-organised in collaboration with the Ministry of Information and in cooperation with the Press Council of Cambodia (PCC), the Club of Cambodian Journalists (CCJ), the Cambodian Centre for Independent Media (CCIM) and the Department of Media and Communications (DMC).
