06. 02. 2014

UN TO INCLUDE FREE MEDIA IN DEVELOPMENT GOALS

6.2.2014. (EurActiv) - A large number of civil society organizations from 77 countries called on the United Nations to incorporate in its main objective of sustainable development for the period after 2015 the establishment of independent media and the obligation of governments to be accountable to the public.

The appeal by nearly 200 organizations, including two from Serbia, came on Sunday when in New York a session was held of the United Nations Open Working Group for Sustainable Development Goals.

"We believe that freedom of expression and access to independent media is crucial for democratic and economic development," says the petition, which was launched at the initiative of the NGO network Global Fund for Media Development ( GFMD ) and organization Article 19, named after article  19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights relating to freedom of expression and information.

The appeal states that the development of humanity in the coming decades will depend on access to information , as well as new media and technologies make possible the expansion of economic, social and political development. Therefore, the signatories call that the goals of sustainable development for the period after 2015 incorporate the recommendations of the report of the High Panel of Distinguished Persons of the United Nations. In particular, it is suggested that the objectives include the achievement of good governance and the establishment of effective institutions.

"As a component of this goal should include a clause to 'enable people to enjoy freedom of expression, association, peaceful protest, and access to independent media and information' and to 'guarantee the public's right to information and access to government data,'" says the appeal.

Among the signatories of the nearly 200 organizations from 77 countries around the world, including the Association of Independent Electronic Media ( ANEM ) and the Fund for an Open Society Serbia , NGO Gong from Croatia, Media Center Sarajevo, PRO media from Skopje, as well as world-renowned organizations such as Reporters Without Borders, Transparency International, PEN International, AFP Foundation and the Deutsche Welle Academy.

"It is vital that the UN recognizes a broad base of support for the inclusion of media freedom and access to information among the key elements for a new development agenda," said Executive Director of Article 19 Thomas Hughes.

Free flow of information is essential to enable the citizens to make good decisions and to properly participate in the public debate about everything that affects their lives, he said.