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As every May 3rd, UNESCO is celebrating (WPFD)). The slogan for this year is defending “information as a public good,” just in the same way as education and health are conceived as such by all communities. The year 2021 is also special as it marks the 30th anniversary of the , a critical document drafted to foster an independent, pluralistic and free press.

Rosa María González, UNESCO´s Regional Advisor for Communication and Information for Latin America and the Caribbean, pointed out that

“During the last year of the pandemic the world has witnessed how disinformation can jeopardize our lives and democratic processes. The health crisis has exposed the need to protect independent journalism, promote the transparency of online platforms and strengthen the critical thinking capacities of citizens to fight disinformation and hate speech."

Due to the pandemic, the global conference will be held in a hybrid digital and in-person format. For the first time, the event will connect with six regional forums, making it a unique international event (). UNESCO Regional Office for Sciences in Latin America and the Caribbean in Montevideo is organizing the Regional Forum for LAC, which will take place on April 30th from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.(GMT -3). .

Leading journalists worldwide will also take part in the campaign by recording a short video urging people to reflect on the theme of this year’s WPFD: the importance of information as a public good. The selected clips will be broadcast during the conference and on UNESCO’s social media channels.

Journalism students from different regions will also join forces running UNESCO’s Youth Newsroom doing the media coverage of several of the scheduled activities and side events of the sixth edition of the Academic Conference on the Safety of Journalists. The University of Namibia (UNAM) and its students will host this initiative.

With this celebration, UNESCO aims to work on three core issues. The first is devoted to renewing the world’s commitment to freedom of expression, freedom of the press, and freedom of information. In addition, it also aims to address the obstacles faced by the media in ensuring their financial viability, the transparency of Internet companies, and the need to strengthen media and information literacy capacities around the world.

The pandemic has unveiled the importance of free access to quality information around the world. In times of crisis, information can be a matter of life and death for the entire world.

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