(IPI/IFEX) – The following is a 2 November 1999 IPI press release: Abuja, 2 November 1999 On the occasion of its meeting in Abuja, Nigeria (31 October – 2 November 1999), the Executive Board of the International Press Institute (IPI), the global network of editors and media executives, expressed its appreciation of the significant contribution […]
(IPI/IFEX) – The following is a 2 November 1999 IPI press release:
Abuja, 2 November 1999
On the occasion of its meeting in Abuja, Nigeria (31 October – 2 November
1999), the Executive Board of the International Press Institute (IPI), the
global network of editors and media executives, expressed its appreciation
of the significant contribution to press freedom made by the outgoing
Director-General of UNESCO, Federico Mayor.
Since taking office in 1987, Mayor has proven to be a courageous leader who
quickly set out to revitalise and reaffirm free press principles, the Board
said. It is thanks to him that the controversial debate over a New World
Information and Communication Order (NWICO) – a debate that caused the
United States and the United Kingdom to withdraw from UNESCO and nearly
brought about the organisation’s ruin – was buried. UNESCO’s Member States
unanimously endorsed Mayor’s proposals to put the matter behind them once
and for all, and to return the organisation to its original constitutional
mission of ‘fostering the free flow of ideas by word and image.’
Under Mayor, UNESCO’s new media policy led directly to action, practical
programmes, and results. As early as February 1990, while Communist regimes
were still in power in many Eastern European countries, UNESCO organised an
informal East/West meeting of media professionals, who discussed ways and
means of providing much needed help to the emerging independent media.
One year later, at Windhoek, Namibia, UNESCO and the United Nations
organised a seminar on ‘Promoting an Independent and Pluralistic African
Press.’ The resulting Declaration of Windhoek, which stated that an
independent, pluralistic and free press was essential for democracy and
economic development, is considered today as a benchmark in the field of
communication development. So important was the Declaration of Windhoek,
that its date of adoption, 3 May 1991, is celebrated around the world as
International Press Freedom Day. Windhoek was followed by a series of
important seminars aimed at promoting independent and pluralistic media in
Asia (Alma Ata, Kazakhstan), Latin America and the Caribbean (Santiago,
Chile), the Arab world (Sana’a, Yemen) and Central and Eastern Europe
(Sofia, Bulgaria), respectively.
The IPI Board praised Mayor and his very able Secretariat, in particular
Henrikas Yushkiavitshus, Assistant Director-General for Communication,
Information and Informatics, and Alain Moudoux, now Assistant
Director-General of the Unit for Freedom of Expression and Democracy, for
seeking a creative partnership with non-governmental organisations (NGOs)
and always consulting with press freedom organisations and media
professionals, not only in the preparation of the regional conferences, but
in all of UNESCO’s media-related activities.
An example, the Board said, of how well Mayor understands the basic
principles of press freedom, as well as the media profession, is evident in
his conviction that codes of conduct for journalists can be determined only
by those who practice it:
“Journalists, do not let anyone tell you what your code of conduct should
be! It is up to you to establish it, observe it, and see to it that it is
observed throughout the profession. It is up to you to correct any
deviations and examine their impact. It is also your business to revise this
code, if necessary.”
Mayor, now at the end of his second 6-year term, was always a guardian of
the democratic principles enshrined in his organisation’s constitution, and
refused to bow to pressure in protecting them. He has become a living symbol
of the culture of tolerance and understanding that he has fought for so
long, the Board said.
On 20 October, UNESCO’s Executive Board selected Koichiro Matsuura as its
candidate to succeed Federico Mayor. The UNESCO Board’s recommendation goes
before UNESCO’s full membership for approval on 12 November.
