UNESCO

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World Trends in Freedom of Expression and Media
Development – Special Digital Focus 2015 and
Media Development in Jordan were launched by
UNESCO in 2015. Together, they provide an updated
assessment of the state of the media in a world
transformed by digital journalism.
Experiences and details of the
jurisprudence of international courts
were shared, and there was discussion
of the role of national high courts.
The conference informed the discussion
at the UNESCO international conference
‘News Organizations Standing Up for
the Safety of Media Professionals’ held
on 5 February 2016.
On Impunity Day itself, the UNESCO
Representative to Iraq, the Human
Rights Commissioner and the president
of the Iraqi Journalists Syndicate (IJS)
issued a joint statement in which they
urged the Iraqi authorities to take all
necessary measures to ensure that there
are investigations and trials when crimes
against journalists are perpetrated in
the country. In Iraq, the safety situation
of journalists remains dramatically
poor, with more than 100 cases of
assassinations of journalists not having
been investigated thoroughly. UNESCO
and IJS had signed a project agreement
earlier in May for enhancing Iraqi
journalists’ capacities for conflictsensitive
reporting.
The Day was also marked by events in
about 20 countries, including eight in Africa,
and at the UN General Assembly in New York.
New UNESCO publications
take stock of the state of
the media
The International Day to End Impunity
against Journalists also saw the
release of an UNESCO report, World
Trends in Freedom of Expression and
Media Development – Special Digital
Focus 2015. The report takes stock of
the response rate of Member States
to the request for information about
the impunity of those responsible
for the killing of journalists and
media workers. Of 57 countries in
which journalists had been killed,
24 responded to the request, an
improvement on 2014’s response rate.
The World Trends report also focuses
on protecting journalists’ sources in
the digital age, the role of Internet
intermediaries in fostering freedom
online, and countering hate speech.
In a media environment transformed
by digital technologies, this special
volume in the World Trends series is
a uniquely authoritative reference
for governments, journalists, media
workers, civil society, the private
sector, academics and students.
The Organization also launched this
year its report on Media Development in
Jordan, based on the UNESCO/IPDC Media
Development Indicators (MDIs), before
an audience of more than 100 people
from the media sector, the international
community, the government and civil
society. Following Tunisia, Egypt, Libya
and Palestine, Jordan is the fifth Arab
country for which an MDI assessment
has been published. This factual
study is the most comprehensive and
in-depth analysis currently available
of the contemporary Jordanian media
sector. The assessment offers a series of
recommendations aimed at supporting
policy-makers and media development
actors to address gaps on the way to
a free, independent and professional
media environment. The assessment also
suggests inputs to the ongoing review of
the national media strategy action plan.