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New UNESCO Report highlights global trends and recommendations for strengthening National Safety Mechanisms for Journalists
We are also expanding practical tools and guidance. This past November, we launched the guide for psychologists in the emergency care of journalists. Last month, we opened a call for newsrooms to strengthen gender-sensitive safety policies. More broadly, the UNESCO Executive Board recently adopted a decision to reinforce emergency response mechanism in crisis settings to strengthen monitoring and reporting as well as to enhance the protection of journalists worldwide.
The reveals key findings from data collected in a global survey undertaken by UNESCO to identify national mechanisms addressing journalists鈥 safety in all regions of the world. UNESCO鈥檚 data shows the existence of multiple configurations of national mechanisms designed to combat impunity and to strengthen national coordination structures for the prevention, protection and prosecution of crimes committed against journalists, media workers and social media producers.
Addressing Persistent Impunity for Crimes Against Journalists
Ensuring the safety of journalists and media workers is a critical concern of UNESCO, spearheaded through UNESCO鈥檚 coordination of the . Supporting the establishment and strengthening of national safety mechanisms for journalists is a priority in the implementation of the UN Plan of Action, and is also one of the action points in several IPDC and Executive Board Decisions. Following 12 years of implementation of the UN Plan of Action, national responses to the call to strengthen national mechanisms have grown in number and across all regions of the world.
UNESCO鈥檚 report found that 56 mechanisms are operational in 29 countries, with the large majority of these mechanisms being implemented in two regions, that is, in Europe and North America, and in Latin America and the Caribbean.
There are many different configurations of national responses which address risks to journalist safety. The geographic scope of mechanisms within countries also differs significantly. The report finds that 75% of mechanisms operate at a national level while 25% operate at a local level.
UNESCO鈥檚 report highlights the lack of adequate gender-focused measures to address the safety risks faced by women journalists. Indeed, only 25% of the mechanisms include specific measures for women journalists, demonstrating the need for an approach that better accounts for the disproportionate risks faced by women journalists.
One of the key findings from the brief is that most mechanisms bring together different stakeholders, increasing their ability to function effectively as national coordination structures on the safety of journalists. In many cases, governments are playing a central role in the implementation of safety measures, however they often cooperate with civil society organizations, media companies, unions and academic institutions during implementation.
In practice, most mechanisms (over two thirds) cover at least two areas of safety, which are prevention, protection and prosecution. These safety measures range from providing safety trainings for journalists, to establishing quick response systems to threats, from providing material protection needs in cases of imminent threats, to supporting the needs of journalists in exile. Others provide legal support to journalists facing attacks.
UNESCO encourages the adoption of sustainable mechanisms that bring together multiple actors willing to respond to the multitude of existing and emerging threats journalists face, particularly in digital contexts and with specific attention to the gender dimension of those threats.
