Press release

UK and Canada co-chair chapeau to Global Media Freedom Conference communiqu茅

Coalition Co-Chairs, the UK and Canada, share the Media Freedom Coalition Communique after the first ministerial-level meeting at the 2020 Global Media Freedom Conference.

This was published under the 2019 to 2022 Johnson Conservative government

The first Ministerial meeting of the Media Freedom Coalition took place today 16 November. As co-Chairs of the Coalition, the UK and Canada are happy to share the Communiqu茅 issued by the Coalition.

The Communiqu茅 recognises that media freedom is essential to the protection of human rights, a cornerstone of democracy and a means to help address the current health crisis through countering false information.

The Communiqu茅 also recognises the continued decline in media freedom caused in part by the rise of authoritarianism. In response, the Communiqu茅 recalls the commitment of all Coalition members to the Global Pledge on Media Freedom agreed at the London Conference 2019.

Moreover, the Communiqu茅 also welcomes:

  • new members to the Coalition
  • the continuous work of the Advisory Network to support media freedom
  • the work of the High Level Legal Panel
  • progress of UNESCO to support grass roots work through the global Media Defence Fund, and
  • efforts to at the national level to improve the media environment, including through legal protections, so that journalists can carry out their work without fear of harm, arrest or intimidation

You can read the full text of the .

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Updates to this page

Published 17 November 2020