UNESCO has dedicated World Press Freedom Day 2024 (3 May) to addressing the multiple threats
faced by journalists covering the environment and the impact of climate-related disinformation.
The Organization and Chile will hold an international conference in Santiago, bringing together
government representatives, experts, NGOs and media professionals.
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• What? UNESCO’s international conference “A Press for the Planet: Journalism in the Face of the Environmental Crisis” • Where? The Gabriela Mistral Centre, Av. Libertador Bernardo O'Higgins 227, Santiago, Chile (and online) • When? 2-4 May, 2024 • Who? Gabriel Boric, President of Chile; Audrey Azoulay, Director-General of UNESCO; Maria Ressa, Nobel-Prize Winning Investigative Journalist; Irene Khan, UN Special Rapporteur on The Right to Freedom of Expression; Michelle Bachelet, Former Chilean President, former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights; Fatima Denton, the Prosecutor in the case of the murder of The Guardian journalist Dom Phillips, also an IPCC Representative, etc. • Register for the UNESCO press briefing ahead of World Press Freedom Day, at which UNESCO experts will highlight the main objectives of the conference and discuss the key-findings of a new report examining attacks against environmental journalists – from harassment, detentions and arrests to physical violence and killings (embargoed until May 3, 00:01 am CET) In French: Monday, 15 April, 3:00 pm CET: With Dr. Tawfik Jelassi, Assistant Director-General for Communication and Information In English: Tuesday, 16 April, 3:00 pm CET: [link] With Guilherme Canela, Chief, Freedom of Expression and Safety of Journalists Section • Register here for accreditation to World Press Freedom Day Conference in Santiago You will first need to enter the password: Eventos.Chile@180 Should you need any assistance with the accreditation process, please contact Monia Adjiwanou at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. |
Objective, fact-based investigation and reporting on environmental issues has never been more critical. Without it we cannot hope to reduce and mitigate the impacts of the climate crisis. But journalists who investigate these topics are facing significant and growing threats.
The UNESCO World Press Freedom Day Conference – the first-ever UN conference dedicated to climate disruption and press freedom – will analyze these threats and look at how to better support and protect environmental journalists. Participants will also discuss how to tackle disinformation, denial and distortion of scientific facts. They will examine how to build media coalitions to lead international investigations uncovering the powerful trans-national interests behind disinformation campaigns which hamper climate action.
The conference, to be opened by UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay, and the President of Chile, Gabriel Boric, will bring together the key experts, advocates and stakeholders from all regions of the world, including environmental journalist-activists, lawyers specializing in freedom of expression, scientists concerned about climate-change disinformation and the leading civil society organizations working on the protection of the environment.
The UNESCO/Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize
As in past years, journalists who have risked their lives to provide essential information to the public will be awarded the UNESCO/CANO Prize at a special ceremony at the conference.
Source, UNESCO
