The UN General Assembly’s Third Committee adopted a Resolution on Tuesday, 26 November, on the “Safety of Journalists and the Issue of Impunity” in crimes against news media personnel.
The adoption of this draft Resolution was a Greek initiative, with the support of Argentina, Austria, Costa Rica and Tunisia, in an effort to raise awareness in and mobilize the international community regarding to the distressing increase, on a global level, of crimes against journalists.
As a longstanding champion of the right to freedom of expression, Greece was a key supporter in 2006 of the adoption of Security Council Resolution 1738 on the protection of journalists covering armed conflicts.
After long-running negotiations, Greece managed to secure consensus on the unanimous adoption of today’s Resolution, which was co-sponsored by 76 countries.
Under this Resolution, the member states of the UN recognize the importance of protecting journalists and implementing the relevant UN Action Plan. Moreover, the Resolution calls on the member states to take measures to investigate the crimes perpetrated against journalists, to bring guilty parties to justice, and to compensate victims.
Finally, the General Assembly calls on the UN Secretary General to submit a report on the implementation of the Resolution, proclaiming 2 November as the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists. This date was chosen in commemoration of the two French journalists who were murdered in northern Mali on 2 November 2013.
Indicative of the importance of today’s Resolution is the fact that IFEX, the largest NGO in the world working for the right to freedom of expression, states in an open letter that today’s Resolution is the most important step taken by the UN in the past 40 years toward the safety and protection of journalists.
November 27, 2013