Promoting the safety of journalists and combatting impunity for those who attack them are central actions within UNESCO's support for press freedom and freedom of expression. We #ProtectJournalists by spearheading the UN Plan of Action on the Safety of Journalists and the Issue of Impunity in line with the relevant international commitments. We monitor and report on the killings, as reflected in the Observatory of Killed Journalists and by periodically requesting Member States to provide information on the status of judicial inquiries into these cases. We build and develop national and regional capacities to prevent, protect and prosecute attacks against journalists; advocate to take into account the specific risks women journalists face; and support legal protection of journalists worldwide. We lead the commemorations of World Press Freedom Day and the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists; and develop knowledge resources to understand and address the challenges.  

Ukraine: UNESCO working for truth and life-saving information

Our Challenges

United Nations Plan of Action on the Safety of Journalists
Safety of Women Journalists
Bolstering Media Freedom and Journalists' Legal Protection
Journalists' Safety Indicators
Protecting journalists and free, independent media worldwide
Freedom of Expression and the Universal Periodic Review
Freedom of Expression and the Rule of Law
Freedom of Expression online

Monitoring Killings of Journalists

UNESCO Observatory of Killed Journalists
UNESCO Director-General's Report on the Safety of Journalists and the Danger of Impunity
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Newsletter on United Nations Plan of Action on the Safety of Journalists

Knowing the Truth is Protecting the Truth

Accountability. Without it, crimes just like this one go unpunished. 9 out of 10 journalist killings remain unsolved. Indifference is the deadliest weapon. Don’t let their deaths be invisible to society, #MakeImpunityVisible.

What would a world without independent media look like?

Without the work of independent journalists providing us with reliable information, who would report on issues of public interest, denounce wrongdoings, social inequalities and unpunished crimes? Protecting journalists and independent journalism is not only a concern for journalists. It’s a concern for all. Journalism makes an impact on people’s lives. It is key in advancing human rights and has a basic function to hold the powerful accountable. The information that journalists provide to us is a public good which needs public support. 

Facts and Figures

people
Every 4 days
a journalist is killed.
mic
688
ongoing or unresolved cases of killed journalists.

Our Publications

The 2021/2022 edition of the World Trends Report- Highlights
UNESCO
2021
With the support of the UNESCO Multi-Donor Programme on Freedom of Expression and Safety of Journalists (MDP)
0000379826
Global toolkit for judicial actors: international legal standards on freedom of expression, access to information and safety of journalists
UNESCO
2021
UNESCO
0000378755
The Chilling: global trends in online violence against women journalists; research discussion paper
UNESCO
2021
With financial support from UNESCO’s Multi-Donor Programme on Freedom of Expression and Safety of Journalists and the Swedish Postcode Foundation
0000377223
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