This decision was the result of the work of the UNESCO General Conference, which, in its 1991 resolution «On promoting freedom of the press in the world», recognized that a free, pluralistic and independent press is a necessary component of any democratic society.
The General Conference conveyed to the General Assembly the expressed wish of UNESCO member states to declare May 3 International Press Freedom Day.
This date was chosen to commemorate the Windhoek Declaration on Promoting the Independence and Pluralism of the African Press, adopted on 3 May 1991 at a seminar on promoting the independence and pluralism of the African press, organized by UNESCO and the United Nations in Windhoek, Namibia.
World Press Freedom Day is an annual reminder to the international community that freedom of the press and freedom of expression are fundamental rights enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. We must defend these rights because they represent the basis of democracy and have a real impact on the lives of people around the world.
Free media and free access to information contribute to development challenges by raising people's awareness of the state of affairs in society. Thus, people have the opportunity to become active participants in socio-political processes and independently decide their own destiny. But this is only possible if you have free access to reliable information.
World Press Freedom Day provides an opportunity for the international community to pay tribute to the professional media workers who died in the line of duty.
Every year, Press Freedom Day is dedicated to a specific topic, and on the eve of the date, the international organization Committee to Protect Journalists analyzes relations between the press and government and sends letters to heads of state describing the problems of journalists that would be worth paying attention to. The international organization «Reporters Without Borders», based on monitoring the situation in more than 100 countries around the world, annually compiles a list of «enemies of the free press».
The main event on the holiday is the presentation of the UNESCO World Prize for contribution to the free press named after Guillermo Cano. The award was founded in honor of a Colombian journalist who died in 1986. It is awarded to an individual, organization or institution that has made a significant contribution to the protection of press freedom or its promotion throughout the world, especially if such activity involves risk or reprisals.
Also on this day, various public organizations and journalistic associations in many countries hold various public events aimed at attracting the attention of the authorities and the general public to the problems of freedom of speech in the media.
• Infographics – poster «3 May — World Press Freedom Day»