IFEX took a new direction for the End Impunity campaign this year. And now we’re looking ahead.
IFEX would like to thank everyone who participated in the 2014 End Impunity campaign. It was powerful to have received support and solidarity from around the world, from the kickoff in October to the final actions on 23 November.
While the 2014 campaign may have concluded, our work advocating against impunity is ongoing.
Shifting our focus from raising awareness towards direct government lobbying is giving the campaign new momentum: we’re gaining the attention of more governments. The next step will be ensuring that they implement effective legislative changes.
Achieving concrete legal improvements will take time, but we now have an idea of where to start: we must take advantage of existing resources and programs designed to leverage civil society’s demands for an end to impunity.
Using IFEX’s newly developed guides to navigating the UN Plan of Action and the UNESCO Director-General’s report, organisations and campaigners can become familiar with programs set up to track and measure injustice. They are also likely to feel more empowered to effectively lobby governments. IFEX’s comprehensive fact-sheets on these two essential UN resources provide a starting point for civil societies concerned with advocating for the safety of journalists.
Journalist protection had a special focus in this year’s campaign through the very first official UN International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists and the fifth anniversary of the Ampatuan Massacre in the Philippines.
But our End Impunity campaign encompasses crimes against all forms of free expression. As what used to be a November campaign becomes a year long initiative in 2015, there will be even more opportunities for our network and supporters to fight this systemic climate of impunity. We need to take away the confidence of those who threaten, attack or try to silence other voices that they can commit their crimes with impunity.
Thank you again for supporting IFEX’s End Impunity campaign. And stay tuned for the rolling out of our newly designed campaign in 2015!
Did you find this article interesting? There is more!
Make sure to consult the following short pieces to get the broad picture about this year’s impunity campaign:
- The inaugural UN International Day to End Impunity was acknowledged on 2 November. See an overview of encouraging responses we got from governments around the world.
- To read more on how the Philippine authorities responded to our Tweet for Justice campaign commemorating the fifth year anniversary of the Ampatuan Massacre, click here.
- For the big picture of how IFEX members have lobbied their governments during the campaign, and what other activities they organised, check out this Storify.
