Every year on 3 May UNESCO marks World Press Freedom Day.

At the core of UNESCO's mandate is freedom of the press and freedom of expression. UNESCO believes that these freedoms allow for mutual understanding to build sustainable peace.

This year's global theme, "Journalism without Fear or Favour", provides an opportunity to reflect on the importance of free and independent media in the lives of people and countries, especially in times of crisis.

«At a time when we are mired in worry and uncertainty because of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, free information is essential to helping us face, understand, think about and overcome this crisis. First, we must consider the vital importance of information in this situation: informing the public means giving everyone the means of combatting the illness by adopting appropriate practices,» said Ms Audrey Azoulay, Director-General of UNESCO, in a message on the occasion of World Press Freedom Day (full message).

A free, pluralistic and independent media environment, both online and offline, is quintessential to upholding freedom of expression as a fundamental human right. It is a key element of any democratic society, and it accelerates progress in sustainable development.

The World Press Freedom Day in 2020 builds upon the insights of the 2019 theme which sought to strengthen media’s contribution to elections and the fight against disinformation. Enhancing knowledge of the current issues and efforts for change can help to keep journalism free and independent into the future.

The COVID-19 pandemic forced the postponement of the World Press Freedom Conference to 18-20 October 2020. Organized annually since 1993, the Global Conference provides an opportunity to journalists, civil society representatives, national authorities and the broader public to discuss emerging challenges to press freedom and journalists’ safety and to work together on identifying solutions.

The UNESCO Tashkent Office calls for the celebration of the Day and its impetus through online activities initiated by UNESCO Headquarters. For more details please click here.

Below are the videos produced by journalists and bloggers from Uzbekistan on the occasion of World Press Freedom Day:

Background: World Press Freedom Day was proclaimed by the UN General Assembly in 1993 following a Recommendation adopted at the twenty-sixth session of UNESCO's General Conference in 1991. This, in turn, was a response to a call by African journalists who in 1991 produced the landmark Windhoek Declaration on media pluralism and independence.