World Press Freedom Day 2005
"Media and Good Governance"
May 3 is World Press Freedom Day. This year, World Press Freedom Day is dedicated to the theme “Media and Good Governance”. To celebrate the day, UNESCO organizes a conference in Dakar’s capital Senegal, from 1 to 3 May 2005.
Independent, free and pluralistic media have a crucial role to play in the good governance of democratic societies, by ensuring transparency and accountability, promoting participation and the rule of law, and contributing to the fight against poverty. The Dakar Conference will pay tribute to this critical role played by the media in promoting democracy and good governance.
World Press Freedom Day is an opportunity to remind the world of the importance of protecting the fundamental rights of freedom of expression and freedom of the press, as stated in Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Without these rights, democracy cannot prevail and development remains unattainable.