Note No. 5664

                                            30 April 2001

Note to Correspondents

        WORLD PRESS FREEDOM DAY TO BE OBSERVED AT HEADQUARTERS ON 3 MAY

Theme Is "Fighting Racism and Promoting Diversity: the Role of the Free Press"

An observance of World Press Freedom Day, organized by the Department of Public Information (DPI), will be held at Headquarters on Thursday, 3 May, from

10 a.m. to 1 p.m. in Conference Room 2. The programme will take place within the context of the twenty-third session of the Committee on Information.

This year marks the tenth anniversary of the Windhoek Declaration on Promoting an Independent and Pluralistic African Press. In the spirit of the Windhoek Declaration, in recognition of the United Nations Year of Dialogue among Civilizations (2001), and in support of the upcoming World Conference against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance (Durban, South Africa, 31 August-7 September 2001), the theme of the observance will be "Fighting Racism and Promoting Diversity: the Role of the Free Press".

Opening statements will be made by Secretary-General Kofi Annan; Harri Holkeri, President of the General Assembly; the Chairperson of the Committee on Information, and Márcio Nogueira Barbosa, Deputy Director-General of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Shashi Tharoor, Interim Head, DPI, will make opening remarks and will also deliver a joint message by the Secretary-General, the Director-General of UNESCO and the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights.

 A panel discussion will follow. Panellists are Justin Arenstein, Editor, African Eye News Service, South Africa; Ana Baron, Bureau Chief, ClarRn, Argentina; Ghida Fakhry, Bureau Chief, Al-Jazeera TV, Qatar; Frances Hardin, Member, Board of Directors, International Centre for Journalists (ICFJ); and James Ottaway, Chairman, World Press Freedom Committee. Shashi Tharoor will moderate the panel.

The observance is co-sponsored by DPI and the International Centre for Journalists.

World Press Freedom Day was established by General Assembly decision 48/432 of 20 December 1993, on a recommendation of the Economic and Social Council and as an outgrowth of the Seminar on Promoting an Independent and Pluralistic African Press. This Seminar, co-sponsored by DPI and UNESCO, took place in Windhoek in 1991 and resulted in the adoption of the Windhoek Declaration.

The Declaration states that "the establishment, maintenance and fostering of an independent, pluralistic and free press is essential to the development and maintenance of democracy in a nation, and for economic development". It defines an

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independent press as free "from governmental, political or economic control or from control of materials and infrastructure essential for the production and dissemination of newspapers, magazines, and periodicals", and a pluralistic press as having no monopolies of any kind and "the greatest possible number of newpapers, magazines and periodicals reflecting the widest possible range of opinion within the community".

For further information, please call Graciela Hall, (212) 963-6923 or Joanna Piucci, (212) 963-7346; for media accreditation, (212) 963-6934; for United Nations television coverage, (212) 963-7650.

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