Key decisions adopted for journalists’ safety, access to information rights, and media development

IPDC is the UN system’s only multilateral forum dedicated to mobilising the international community around media development. Through this unique platform, discussions in the IPDC Council also spurred the development of the UN Plan of Action on Safety of Journalists and the Issue of Impunity.

The two years since the IPDC Council last met have been particularly challenging for independent media. The pandemic delivered a massive blow to the news media’s already shaky economic foundations.

In response, IPDC has spearheaded a UNESCO initiative on media viability to better understand the numerous challenges confronting media stakeholders, identify potential solutions at the outlet-level, and formulate policy recommendations.

Despite its significant financial cost, the global health crisis highlighted the critical importance of media and reliable information. Ambassador Anna Brandt, chairperson of the IPDC, praised the Programme’s work over the last two years, during which the IPDC Bureau approved over 140 new media development projects—including many projects addressing coverage of the pandemic—for a total of approximately US $4.3 million.

In line with UNESCO’s “leaving no one behind” approach, 68% of projects are carried out in Least Developed Countries and Small Island Developing States. IPDC’s contribution to UNESCO’s global priority Africa is also reflected in the fact that one-third of the projects are being carried out on the African continent, thanks in part to a targeted call for proposals issued in 2021.  

IPDC also stated at the Council meeting that, in accordance with UNESCO’s decision to prioritise gender equality, it has supported a number of initiatives to empower women in the field of media and communication. All projects approved in the last two years were at least gender sensitive, and nearly 20% focused on gender.

The discussion of the Programme’s work over the last two years also emphasised the importance of supporting journalism education. It was noted that UNESCO’s Series on Journalism Education is a crucial repository of journalism curricula and trainings. As of November 2022, IPDC has published 17 handbooks for journalism educators.

Recent handbooks on pressing current affairs and issues such as “Reporting on Migration and Refugees” (2021) and “Reporting on Terrorism” (2022) drew special attention. Furthermore, the IPDC publication "Journalism, 'Fake News' and Disinformation: A Handbook for Journalism Education and Training" has been translated into 30 languages. Two new syllabi, a “Handbook on Reporting on Artificial Intelligence” and a “Handbook on Teaching Journalism Online,” will soon be added to the series.

Two seminal reports respectively linked to the monitoring of Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) indicators 16.10.1 and 16.10.2 were also discussed.

• Director-General’s Report on the Safety of Journalists and the Danger of Impunity
• Global Report on the implementation of Access to Information Laws

While Member States welcomed both comprehensive reports, highlighting the IPDC’s vital role in monitoring the environment for free press, they noted with concern the many and varied threats facing journalists today.

From 2020 through 2021, UNESCO recorded a total of 117 journalists’ killings worldwide. This is a decrease in fatal attacks compared to previous years, but as Assistant Director-General for Communication and Information Tawfik Jelassi emphasized, “the figures for this year show that this is by no means an established trend. The data also show that the scourge of impunity continues – in nearly nine out of ten cases, the killers of journalists escape accountability.”

UNESCO is also tasked with monitoring and reporting on the implementation of access to information (ATI) policies worldwide and presented to the Council the second Global Report on the Implementation of Access to Information Laws. The report highlights the notable increase in number of jurisdictions that participated in the annual UNESCO survey on SDG indicator 16.10.2, climbing from 69 in 2020 to 123 in 2022. The report also documents the positive trend in countries and territories that have constitutional, statutory and/or policy guarantees for ATI, now encompassing 93% (114) of the 123 countries and territories that responded to the survey.

“A healthy information system is the scaffolding on which democracy and human rights are built,” said Kanbar Hossain Bor, United Kingdom Coordinator for the Media Freedom Campaign, as the IPDC Council began its second day of discussions.

The Council approved a series of decisions following the discussion of both reports, reaffirming the vital role of IPDC and UNESCO in monitoring the environment for free, independent and pluralistic media so that all stakeholders are better placed to understand and respond to today’s challenges. The Council also noted with concern the increasing prevalence of threats against journalists—including the rise of online harassment of women journalists—and called upon Member States to take further actions to protect journalists and media workers. The Council recommended that the Director-General provide more information on non-lethal attacks in future reports, in line with reporting on the Universal Periodic Review and SDG 16.10.1.

Following an extensive consultation process that began at the 66^th IPDC Bureau in June 2022, members also adopted a strategic framework for the IPDC.

Looking ahead, IPDC members discussed IPDC's potential contribution to the larger media development community’s initiative to develop “Principles for Effective Support to the Media Sector.”  

The 34^th session of the IPDC Council will be held in November 2024.

Related documents: Results - UNESCO Digital Library