International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists

The 2019 IDEI event will be the sixth annual commemoration of the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists. Drawing on the successful example of the previous IDEI seminars, this day will seek to consolidate support from a number of stakeholders on safety of journalists and the issue of impunity, and to advance cooperation on mechanisms to prevent violence against journalists, protect them in their work and establish systematic prosecution mechanisms.
The objective of the seminar will be to promote freedom of expression and the rule of law through fostering safety of journalists and ending impunity. This event falls under the global framework of the implementation of the UN Plan of Action on The Safety of Journalists and the Issue of Impunity, UN Resolutions and UNESCO Decisions on safety of journalists. By increasing the safety of journalists, reinforcing the fight against impunity and raising awareness for international standards and regional cooperation, the project aims to contribute to fostering peace and security, good governance and the rule of law. This comes also with the proposed actions outlined in the Outcome document of the Geneva Multi-Stakeholder Consultation (29 June 2017).

The event will help raise awareness among regional bodies, national authorities and institutions, civil society and media on the importance of solving cases of killed journalists in order to strengthen the rule of law and stop the culture of impunity. The event will also promote the exchange of knowledge and dialogues between national institutions (e.g. judiciary institutions, specialized protection mechanisms), regional organizations, civil society (lawyers associations, journalist organizations) and media.

Deepening and sharing experiences, as well as strengthening human rights defenders and civil society, can be an important tool in fighting impunity by raising knowledge about international standards. To summarize, the seminar will seek to increase knowledge and capacities of national human rights commissions, judicial institutions, media, civil society and regional organizations on these issues to reinforce regional cooperation and to raise awareness on the importance of reinforcing or establishing mechanisms to protect journalists and fight impunity.