News
New Global Toolkit for Law Enforcement Agents to foster freedom of expression and public order
91Â鶹¹ú²ú¾«Æ·×ÔÅÄ published a , which will be used to develop training programmes and modules that will be incorporated into the standard curriculum for police academies.
With the advancement of the Internet, social media, and new technologies such as Artificial Intelligence, facial recognition and surveillance technologies, law enforcement agencies face new challenges in ensuring the respect for fundamental rights, including right to privacy.
The publication, available in all UN languages and Portuguese, is the most recent resource produced by UNESCO as part of its global training programme for police officers and journalists on how to develop professional relationships in order to ensure media safety and support freedom of expression.
The toolkit’s seven modules provide officers and trainers with concepts, definitions, and case studies to help them balance their duty to maintain public order while allowing freedom of expression, and its associated freedoms. The toolkit was adapted from UNESCO’s on Freedom of expression and Public Order.
We believe that this toolkit could provide an essential resource for law enforcement agencies and training academies across the world to improve the understanding of current and future officers on issues related to freedom of expression, access to information and safety of journalists, and how to apply them in complex situations.
The Global toolkit was launched during the Training-of-Trainers (ToT) symposium held at Gimborn Castle, Germany, from 4 to 6 April 2023, in collaboration with the IBZ training institute.
The 3-day workshop brought together 17 high-level police trainers and representatives from eight European and West Asian countries (Albania, Armenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Greece, Montenegro, Ukraine and Uzbekistan) as well as Latin America and Africa regions, with a specific focus on raising awareness about freedom of expression and safety of journalists, as well as enhancing professional relations between police officers and the media. A group of journalists also attended the training to share their experiences and converse with the police officers.
Police officers and journalists are both working to serve the public and provide access to essential information. International Police Association and IBZ are honoured to be part of the mission to protect and promote freedom of expression and safety of journalists, by collaborating with UNESCO on training security forces on these important issues.
The training, which was organized within the framework of the partnership agreement between UNESCO and International Police Association (IPA) and in cooperation with , provided a platform for the establishment of an international network of high-level police officers, police trainers, and media professionals, allowing peer-to-peer exchange and dialogue on issues of freedom of expression.
Since the initiative’s inception, over 11,500 Law Enforcement Agents of various ranks from Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean have been trained on the critical role of security forces in respecting the right to freedom of expression, communicating with journalists and the public, and ending impunity for crimes against journalists through a (MOOC), regional workshops and on-the-ground trainings.
Training security forces and the judiciary on freedom of expression
Learn more about upcoming trainings and UNESCOs’ work on Freedom of Expression and the Rule of Law.
The toolkit, as well as the international training workshop were made possible by the Netherlands through the and Multi-Donor Programme on Freedom of Expression and Safety of Journalists (MDP).
