UNESCO and OHCHR Partnership to reinforce freedom of expression: 2020 World Press Freedom Conference

During the 2020 World Press Freedom Conference, co-organised by UNESCO and the Kingdom of the Netherlands on 9 and 10 December, the Dutch Foreign Minister Stef Blok announced an endowment of seven million euros to strengthen press freedom and the safety of journalists.

The funding is destined for the new partnership between UNESCO and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), which intends to put in place activities that support an independent and free press, ensure the safety of journalists – with particular focus on women journalists – promote access to information, and fight against impunity for crimes committed against media professionals. 

“No journalist should have to fear intimidation, violence or persecution. Journalists should just be able to do their job. They are the oxygen of a free, inclusive and diverse society”, said the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, Stef Blok.