World Press Freedom Day was proclaimed by the UN General Assembly in December 1993, following the recommendation of UNESCO's General Conference. Since then, 3 May, the anniversary of the Declaration of Windhoek is celebrated worldwide as World Press Freedom Day. It is an opportunity to: celebrate the fundamental principles of press freedom; assess the state of press freedom throughout the world; defend the media from attacks on their independence; and pay tribute to journalists who have lost their lives in the line of duty.
In 2016, World Press Freedom Day coincides with three important milestones:
The 250th anniversary of the world’s first freedom of information law, covering both modern-day Sweden and Finland
The 25th anniversary of the adoption of the Windhoek Declaration of press freedom principles
The year 2016 is also the first year of the 15 year life-cycle of the new Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
This year’s WPFD focuses on three different aspects of press freedom:
freedom of information as a fundamental freedom and as a human right
protecting press freedom from censorship and surveillance overreach
ensuring safety for journalism online and offline
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