Public information

Following is UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ message for World Press Freedom Day, observed today:

In Haiti, clashes resumed between gangs in Port-au-Prince, forcing hundreds of people to flee their homes, according to the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.  In the commune of Croix-des-Bouquets, violence has displaced more than 1,200 people.  Dozens of houses were burned and a hospital in Marin was looted.

In Haiti, violent clashes between gangs in the capital have displaced several hundred people and preliminary data indicates at least 20 civilian deaths, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reports.  United Nations agencies are helping the Government to assess emergency needs in impacted areas.

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has appointed Damian Cardona Onses of Spain as Director of the United Nations Information Centre in Canberra, Australia.  Mr. Cardona assumed his duties on 20 April.

The United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) said they are closely following reports about the mobilization of forces and movement of large convoys of armed groups that have increased tensions in and around Tripoli.  The Mission calls on all parties to refrain from any action that could lead to armed clashes.

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has appointed Sherri Aldis of Canada as Director of the United Nations Regional Information Centre (UNRIC) in Brussels.  She assumed her duties on 14 February 2022.

In Ethiopia, fighting in the northern region of Afar continues to prevent the delivery of aid into neighbouring Tigray.  These clashes are also causing large-scale displacement and increasing humanitarian needs in Afar.

Fifty-five journalists and media workers were killed around the world in 2021, according to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) – the lowest annual death toll in over a decade.  However, two thirds of those killings took place in countries not experiencing armed conflict and impunity for those crimes remains widespread.

World Braille Day, on 4 January, aims to raise awareness of the importance of Braille as a means of communication in the full realization of the human rights for blind and partially sighted people.  COVID-19 has revealed how critically important it is to produce essential information in accessible formats.

On Friday, 10 December, the UN Department of Global Communications Civil Society Association Committee selected 19 civil society organizations for formal association with the Department.  The organizations join from 8 countries, including Bangladesh, France, Greece, India, Pakistan, Republic of Korea, Saudi Arabia and the United States, highlighting the diversity of the new group and the importance of collaboration.