World Press Freedom Day brings together over 1,100 media professionals from different parts of the world in Helsinki

Press release 80/2016
26 April 2016

Finland will host the UNESCO World Press Freedom Day (WPFD) event for journalists and media professionals in Helsinki on 3–4 May.

More than 1,100 participants from over a hundred countries are expected to attend the event, which is now organised for the 25th time and for the first time in a Nordic country. President of the Republic Sauli Niinistö is the patron of the event and will present the UNESCO/Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize, awarded this year to Azerbaijan journalist Khadija Ismayilova. Prime Minister Juha Sipilä, UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova and Mayor of Helsinki Jussi Pajunen will speak at the opening ceremony.

The theme of the event is freedom of information

Finland is a model country when it comes to freedom of the press and has ranked at the top of the World Press Freedom Index since 2009. This year marks the 250th anniversary of the Nordic freedom of information decree, which is why the main theme of the World Press Freedom Day is Access to Information and Fundamental Freedoms – This is Your Right! Questions to be dealt with at the WPFD seminar will include journalists' safety, ethics, privacy protection, and hate speech.

This year’s conference breaks new ground in that besides press freedom, discussions will also touch upon artistic freedom and the interrelations between the two. Minister of Education and Culture Sanni Grahn-Laasonen will participate in two seminars focusing on the theme. On Monday 2 May, Minister Grahn-Laasonen will attend one of the side events and discuss artistic freedom in the digital environment with her Nordic counterparts, UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova and President Tarja Halonen.. The seminar is one of the events under Finland's Presidency of the Nordic Council of Ministers. On Monday afternoon, Minister Grahn-Laasonen will attend a media education seminar, which concentrates on information literacy in the Baltic and Nordic countries. On Tuesday 3 May, Minister Grahn-Laasonen will open a parallel session entitled 'Is Artistic Freedom a New Development Challenge', which will examine artists' freedom of expression and freedom of movement.

Director-General Bokova will hold bilateral discussions with Foreign Minister Timo Soini and Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Lenita Toivakka.

Finland supports over 50 journalists' participation in the conference

A similar UNESCO event will be organised in Jakarta, Indonesia, next year. The Foreign Ministry has invited four young Indonesian journalism students to the Youth News Room as a part of their preparations for next year's event.

The Ministry for Foreign Affairs has also invited journalists from over 20 developing countries to attend the event and will organise other programme related to the theme of freedom of expression during the week in Finland. The journalists will have opportunities to meet colleagues from different parts of the world and they can learn about the Finnish media, history of freedom of expression and school system. The thematic visits will be attended by journalists from: Myanmar, Afghanistan, Nepal, Thailand, Namibia, Kenya, Somalia, Tanzania, Egypt, Tunisia, Libya, Ethiopia, Zambia, Botswana, Mozambique, Nigeria and Honduras.

The Ministry for Foreign Affairs has also invited about 20 journalists from Europe and the neighbouring areas.

The Ministry for Foreign Affairs together with the Freedom Online Coalition (FOC) will organise a separate seminar dealing with the protection of human rights in online environments. At another event organised by the Foreign Ministry, the results of an UNESCO freedom of expression project in North Africa and the Middle East will be discussed.

The principal sessions in the main auditorium can be viewed live on UNESCO's website at http://en.unesco.org/world-press-freedom-day-2016.

The event can be followed on Twitter using hashtag #WPFD2016

Inquiries:

• UNESCO conference: Zabrina Holmström, Counsellor for Cultural Affairs, Ministry of Education and Culture, tel. +358 295 330 114, Henna Knuuttila, Counsellor, Ministry for Foreign Affairs, tel. +358 295 351 425.
• Freedom of expression project in North Africa and the Middle East: Suvi Sipilä, Programme Officer, tel. +358 295 351 758.
• Media visits: Johanna Kotkajärvi, Director, tel. +358 50 4010 380.
• FOC seminar: Ritva Backström, tel. +358 295 351 799.