Deadline: 10 January 2020
UNESCO and the Kingdom of the Netherlands are jointly organizing the World Press Freedom Conference (WPFC) in The Hague on 22-24 April to celebrate the 27th edition of World Press Freedom Day.
The conference is taking place within the context of the 75th anniversary of the United Nations in the Hague, international city of peace and justice. It will feature high-level speakers from the media, civil society, the arts, the political sphere and the judiciary. The first two days (22-23 April) will be dedicated to debate and exchange in the form of plenary debates and breakout sessions. “Festival Day” on 24 April will encourage creative explorations of the theme, including workshops, performances, film screenings, mentoring sessions and other formats.
Conference Theme
“Journalism without Fear or Favour”
This year’s conference theme is focused on celebrating independent journalism and standing up against media capture. Media independence is recognized in the Windhoek Declaration as a necessary condition to ensure press freedom. However, persisting and emerging forms of media control hamper press freedom and threaten media independence worldwide.
Benefits for session organizers
- Ensuring the design and planning of a session within this global event.
- Branding amongst the conference supporters.
- Sessions organizers become a partner of the World Press Freedom Conference 2020.
- Gaining access to an exceptional network of prominent international specialists in the fields of media development, journalism and the safety of journalists.
- Being part of the largest celebration of press freedom in the world, which will be a valuable showcase for applicants organization’s work.
- Partners are awarded benefits, like the display of the logo of the partner, in return for their contribution to the World Press Freedom Conference. The benefits are distributed by the project team. Session organizers can expect their logo on the website, the conference-app and visually displayed at the conference venue.
Responsibilities of session organizers
- Covering costs of travel, accommodation and other travel related expenses of moderators, speakers and facilitations of applicants session.
- Contacting the moderator and speakers to address logistical matters.
- Identifying a rapporteur to produce a 1-page report on the session, based on a template to be provided by the conference organization.
- Regularly liaising with the conference organization in preparation of applicants session.
- Ensuring all contributors are properly registered and accredited for participation.
- Please note that all persons who want to enter the venue need to go through the registration system that will be accessible via the UNESCO website.
- Please note that the Conference organization has no ability to change visa requirements or procedures.
Eligibility Criteria
- UNESCO and the Kingdom of the Netherlands invite Dutch and actors in other countries who are active in the fields of journalism, media development and freedom of expression, including freedom of artistic expression, to submit their proposals and contribute to the celebration of WPFD in 2020.
- Submitter can be civil society organizations, intergovernmental organizations, media, private sector, Internet intermediaries, policy and public affairs institutes, and universities and other knowledge institutions.
- Joint proposals are particularly encouraged.
For more information, visit https://en.unesco.org/news/call-proposals-sessions-world-press-freedom-conference-2020-and-pre-registration-participants