UNESCO, CFI and the MDC partner up for the celebration of World Press Freedom Day

PHOTO BY: Issam El Rimawi

In partnership with UNESCO and Canal France International (CFI), the Media Development Center will host an event marking World Press Freedom Day on May 2nd, 2012. The theme of the event is ’Legal and Ethical Framework for Journalism in Palestine: Challenges in a New Media Environment’. The event is being held in commemoration of the UN General Assembly´s proclamation of May 3rd as World Press Freedom Day.

The day will be celebrated through a series of inspirational talks from reknown international and local speakers with Executive Director of Centre for Law and Democracy, Toby Mendel, as keynote speaker. Among the additional speakers are former Head of Programs at Al Jazeera, Aref Hijjawi, MAAN Agency’s Director Raed Othman, and Head of the Media Department at Birzeit University, Dr. Waleed Shurafa.

Other partners for the event include major Palestinian media houses such as WAFA, MAAN News, Palestine TV, the I’lam Media Center in Nazareth, the Palestinian Journalist Syndicate and the Media Department of Birzeit University.

Taking place at Birzeit University, the center welcomes Palestinian journalists and media professionals from both sides of the Green Line. In Gaza a similar event is scheduled to take place on May 10.

UNESCO and the MDC have previously partnered in events marking World Press Freedom Day. In 2006 the two organizations carried out a celebration and in 2009 UNESCO supported the MDC’s production of a public information campaign on press freedom and Palestinian media in a  series of radio spots.

The grand theme of World Press Freedom Day 2012 is 'New Voices: Media Freedom Helping to Transform Societies' and events to celebrate the occasion will take place throughout the world with Tunis as the center of this year's main host. 

May 3rd was in 1993 proclaimed as World Press Freedom Day following a Recommendation adopted by UNESCO's General Conference in 1991.

Read more about World Press Freedom Day 2012