On the 3rd of May 2012, World Press Freedom Day, the Permanent Missions of Greece and France to the United Nations in New York, will be hosting a round table discussion event on “Protecting journalists: Lessons learned and prospects 5 years after Resolution 1738”.
France and Greece, main sponsors of Resolution 1738, consider it necessary to launch a follow-up and substantial discussion on the implementation of the Resolution. Despite repeated calls by the Secretary-General, as well as those of special representatives and other interested parties, for the full implementation of Resolution 1738, journalists continue to face serious dangers in conflict situations, paying a high price for carrying out their job. In general, journalists are protected as civilians under international humanitarian law and cannot be deliberately targeted. But in practice, much remains to be done to ensure the law is respected.
Stakes remain high. Attacking journalists and the press seriously threatens the freedom of expression, the freedom to inform and to be informed. The aim of the perpetrators is “to wage war on words and images”. This is not only a serious breach of international humanitarian law, but also an affront to universal human values. Repeated attacks against journalists, media professionals and their supporting staff, must face an unequivocal response from States and the international community.
In this context, it is necessary to explore the root causes of the phenomenon and to take stock of the current state of implementation of the Resolution, since its adoption in 2006. At the same time, we need to address the issue of impunity of the perpetrators and to explore ways to strengthen the implementation of the resolution.
With the active cooperation of UNESCO, the event aims, on the one hand, to raise awareness in the context of international public opinion, through dialogue among the various actors on the international scene, including States, academics, press and civil society, and at the same time exploring the legal and political means to guarantee the security of journalists in the field.
May 2, 2012