A coalition of civil society organisations that includes IFEX is calling on States to re-commit to the Plan of Action, and have worked together on a set of shared recommendations to strengthen it.
Update [25.01.2023]: This article was updated on 25 January 2023 with the final version of the civil society call to action.
On 2 November 2022, press freedom advocates around the world marked the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes Against Journalists (IDEI), as well as another important milestone – the 10th anniversary of the UN Plan of Action on the Safety of Journalists and the Issue of Impunity (UNPA), meant to be a “sustained, coordinated framework to address the threats facing journalists.”
However, the climate for journalists is increasingly dangerous, and impunity in cases of crimes committed against them remains a global scourge. The risk is even higher for journalists facing gender-based violence.
While there have been successes in the last decade, far too often States have failed to do what they signed up for in the Plan, and the UN has failed to convince them to live up to their commitments. Civil society organisations have once again proven how indispensable they are by stepping in to fill the gaps where they can.
In her IDEI Editorial, IFEX Executive Director Annie Game argues that while civil society deserves recognition for all it’s done to keep the Plan on track, it’s well past time for States to step up.
IFEX members and partners are backing that concern up with a strong Call to Action to States. It includes a series of concrete, strategic, and implementable recommendations to improve the Plan in terms of:
- Addressing gender-based attacks against journalists;
- Strengthening support for monitoring attacks;
- Bolstering national safety mechanisms;
- Tackling impunity for crimes against journalists;
- Tech and safety; and
- Making the UN Plan more effective.
This Call for Action is based on the result of several regional consultations undertaken by UNESCO, thematic consultations facilitated by civil organisations, and global research based on dozens of interviews. The call was discussed, vetted and amended during the UNPA conference’s working sessions and continues to be refined to ensure, to the best extent, that it is representative of the crucial insights of the diverse group of civil society organisations that participated in the above processes.
This is not an anniversary for States to celebrate, it is a time for them to fully recommit to the UN Plan of Action, and back those words up with actions.
You can read the Call for Action for Improving the Implementation of the UN Plan Of Action on the Safety of Journalists and the Issue of Impunity below.
