The 2024 edition of World Press Freedom Day (WPFD), scheduled for May 3, 2024, is dedicated to the importance of journalism and freedom of expression in the context of the current global environmental crisis.
As part of the activities to mark the day in West Africa, the Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) and its media partners in Guinea-Bissau are seeking to organize a national public forum on the theme: Safeguarding freedom of expression for democratic consolidation in Guinea-Bissau.
The forum is considered a crucial milestone, as Guinea-Bissau is one of the countries in the region that receives little attention and involvement in press freedom and media development issues. The aim of the forum, therefore, is to bring together key players – state and non-state actors – to reflect and deliberate on the state of press freedom and freedom of expression in Guinea-Bissau and how they can be protected to promote democratic consolidation in the country.
One of the highlights of the event will be the official launch of a Comprehensive National Framework on the Safety of Journalistswhich was jointly developed and validated by state actors, media actors and development partners in Guinea-Bissau. The Framework aims, among other things, to promote and protect the safety of journalists; and provides platforms for addressing violations against media personnel. The Framework also provides for the creation of a Complaints Resolution Committee to serve as an early warning system to address threats to the safety of journalists in order to prevent and/or mitigate such threats.
The National Public Forum is scheduled to take place on May 3, 2024, at 9:30 a.m., at the Hala Hotel in Bissau.
It is expected to bring together representatives of the media players: Sindicato dos Jornalistas e Técnicos de Comunicação Social da Guiné-Bissau (SINJOTECS), Rede Nacional das Rádios e Televisões Comunitárias (RENARC), Associação das Mulheres Profissionais da Comunicação Social (AMPROCS), Ordem dos Jornalistas da Guiné-Bissau (OJGB); State actors (the Police, the Military, the National Human Rights Commission, the National Media Council, the Ministry of Media, the National Regulatory Authority and the Judiciary); Civil Society Organizations, the Guinea-Bissau Bar Association, the Guinea-Bissau Human Rights League; the Human Rights Defender Network; Parliamentary Committees; Academia; the Diplomatic Corps and United Nations bodies.
This event is made possible through a media support project by the Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) entitled “Promoting Media Freedom and Access to Quality Information in Guinea-Bissau”, which is being funded by the European Union.
