Canada to champion media freedom at global conference

From: Global Affairs Canada

News release

July 8, 2019 - Ottawa, Ontario - Global Affairs Canada

Canada and the United Kingdom will co-host the first Global Conference for Media Freedom in London, U.K., on July 10 to 11, 2019.

This first-ever international conference on media freedom will bring together more than 1,000 participants­—including foreign ministers, heads of international institutions, members of the press and civil society organizations—to discuss a range of issues. These issues include media sustainability, building trust in media and countering disinformation, the protection of media workers and ending impunity for crimes against them, and the development of national frameworks and legislation to support media freedom. More than 100 countries and eight international organizations will be represented in London.

As co-host, the Honourable Chrystia Freeland, Minister of Foreign Affairs, will have a number of speaking engagements and meetings with conference participants. Full details will be released in due course.

On the margins of the conference, the Minister will attend a meeting of Commonwealth foreign ministers in preparation for the next Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in June 2020. Ministers will also mark the 70th anniversary of the modern Commonwealth.

Quotes

“A free press is the cornerstone of democratic societies and essential for the protection and promotion of human rights. I look forward to two days of in-depth conversations on the current state of media freedom and on the practical steps we can take to bring about positive change in our own countries and around the world.”

- Hon. Chrystia Freeland, P.C., M.P., Minister of Foreign Affairs

Quick facts

  • Over the last 12 years, UNESCO has recorded more than 1,000 killings of journalists worldwide. Impunity for killings of journalists remains extremely high.

  • During the Paris Peace Forum of November 2018, Canada joined several other countries to support the International Declaration on Information and Democracy. In his remarks, Canada’s Prime Minister underscored that no real democracy can exist without freedom of the press.

Associated links

Contacts

Media Relations Office
Global Affairs Canada
343-203-7700
media@international.gc.ca
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