On May 4, Columbia Global Freedom of Expression, UNESCO, OBSERVACOM, and the UNESCO Chair on Freedom of Expression at the University of Los Andes will host an event as part of the World Press Freedom Day 2022 Global Conference (May 2-4). The event will focus on the judicial trends and rulings of the Inter-American Court of Human Rights related to the freedom of expression, freedom of the press, and the safety of journalists. Experts will discuss and analyze the trends in the context of the evolution of the Court’s jurisprudence related to freedom of expression, placing a special emphasis on the decisions adopted in the last few years.

This year’s World Conference is jointly organized by UNESCO and the government of the Oriental Republic of Uruguay, and will feature the participation of prominent experts from various countries in the region and the world in the fields of journalism, media, governments, academia and civil society, among other relevant actors.

World Press Freedom Day (WPFD) was proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly in 1993 and is celebrated every May 3, as a recommendation of UNESCO, adopted at the 26th session of its General Conference in 1991, in response to a proposal by African journalists, who produced the historic Windhoek Declaration that same year. The main celebration of WTFD is organized annually by UNESCO, as a United Nations agency with a specific mandate to promote “the free flow of ideas by word and image”.

WPFD commemorative activities act as a reminder to governments of their democratic commitment to respect press freedom. It is also a day of reflection among media professionals on issues of press freedom and professional ethics, a day to express support for the media under attack and to remember those who have lost their lives in the practice of journalism.

This year’s conference in Uruguay will be held under the theme “Journalism under Digital Siege” and will explore the impact of the digital era on freedom of expression, the safety of journalists, access to information and privacy. 

Please note the event will be in Spanish. There will be simultaneous interpretation in English available for those that register and join through Zoom.

Register here!

Speakers:

• Carlos Ayala, Member and Vice President of the International Commission of Jurists
• Eduardo Bertoni, Representative of the Regional Office for South America of the Inter American Institute of Human Rights; Former Special Rapporteur for Freedom of Expression of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights 
• Jonathan Bock, Executive Director, Foundation for Press Freedom (FLIP)
• Catalina Botero, Global Freedom of Expression at Columbia University; Former Special Rapporteur for Freedom of Expression of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights 
• María Rosa González, UNESCO Regional Communication and Information Advisor for Latin America and the Caribbean
• Jorge Jiménez Martín, Secretary General of the Ibero-American Network of Judicial Schools (RIAEJ) 
• Zuliana Lainez, President of the National Association of Journalists in Peru
• Edison Lanza, Former Special Rapporteur for Freedom of Expression of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights
• Damián Loreti, Legal Counsel for OBSERVACOM; Consejero Legal OBSERVACOM; Tenured Professor in Media Law, School of Social Sciences, Universidad de Buenos Aires
• Ricardo Pérez Manrique, President of the Inter-American Court of Human Rights 
• Pedro Vaca, Special Rapporteur for Freedom of Expression of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights 
• Amy B. Van Zyl-Chavarro, Adjunct Professor at Suffolk University Law School

In Collaboration With:

This event is organized in collaboration with UNESCO, OBSERVACOM, and UNESCO Chair on Freedom of Expression in the University of the Andes.