The Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) and the media actors in Guinea-Bissau – SINJOTECS, AMPROCS, RENARC, OJGB – organized a national public forum on May 3, 2024 to commemorate World Press Freedom Day.
The forum, held under the theme: Safeguarding freedom of expression for democratic consolidation in Guinea-Bissau, was also used to launch a Comprehensive National Framework for the Safety of Journaliststo reflect the urgent need to promote and protect the rights of journalists so that they can work freely, without fear of reprisals or censorship.
Florence Dabé, representative of the Secretary of State for Public Order, at the launch of the Comprehensive National Framework for the Safety of Journalists in Guinea-Bissau with Indira Correia Baldé, President of SINJOTECS
Participants in the forum, including the National Media Council, the Guinean Human Rights League, the police, the Public Order and other civil society organizations, reflected on the state of press freedom and freedom of expression in Guinea-Bissau and discussed strategies to protect and promote these fundamental rights for democratic consolidation.
The forum and the launch are part of the activities of the Media Freedom Project which is being implemented in Guinea-Bissau by the MFWA, in partnership with SINJOTECS, AMPROCS, RENARC, OJGB and funded by the European Union. The National Framework for the Safety of Journalists was developed and validated jointly by key media and state actors, civil society and academia, to promote and protect the safety of journalists by defining roles and responsibilities and providing a grievance resolution mechanism to address and mitigate threats to the safety of media professionals.
Speaking at the forum, the European Union Ambassador to Guinea-Bissau, Artis Bertulis, stressed the fundamental importance of a free and independent press for the proper functioning of a democracy. He noted that repression of the press compromises public control and the proper functioning of democratic institutions, and stressed the need to improve citizens’ access to information in order to guarantee human rights and democratic principles.
In her statement to mark the day, SINJOTECS President Indira Correia Baldé lamented the worrying trend of increasing attacks on journalists covering environmental issues, as these attacks represent a direct threat to freedom of expression and the integrity of journalistic work. In a world where information is crucial for progress and informed decision-making, the protection of journalists becomes a key priority for maintaining democracy and transparency. “We must urgently protect journalists and promote an environment in which press freedom can flourish without fear of retaliation.”
She challenged the President of the Republic to enact the law on journalists’ professional licenses in order to regulate the Guinean journalistic class, value professionals and allow society to get to know media professionals.
In his speech, the President of the Guinea-Bissau Human Rights League, Bubacar Turé, paid tribute to Guinea-Bissau’s media professionals for their courage, determination and resilience in fulfilling their mission to inform and educate public opinion on matters of national interest in a difficult working environment.
In her keynote speech, the Representative of the Secretary of State for Public Order, Florence Dabó, who officially launched the Comprehensive National Framework for the Safety of Journalists, said that violence against journalists remains one of the biggest challenges to freedom of expression around the world, including Guinea-Bissau.
“As you know, the press is the fourth power in a democracy; if we don’t unite our thoughts and if we don’t unite the three powers: Executive, Legislative and Judiciary with the fourth power, which is the Media, we will never achieve democracy in our country.”
Group photo of participants during the launch of the Comprehensive National Framework for the Safety of Journalists in Guinea-Bissau
The Acting President of the National Media Council, Domingos Meta Camara, expressed the hope that the Comprehensive National Framework for the Safety of Journalists would be useful for media professionals and called on everyone to work together to ensure the effective protection of media professionals in Guinea-Bissau.
