World Press Freedom Day was established by the United Nations General Assembly in December 1993. The date chosen for this annual celebration is 3 May.

From May 2-5, 2022, UNESCO and the Republic of Uruguay will host the annual World Press Freedom Day Conference in a hybrid format. Under the theme “Journalism Under Digital Siege”the impact of the digital age on freedom of expression, safety of journalists, access to information and privacy will be discussed.

May 3 reminds governments of the need to uphold their commitment to press freedom and is also a day of reflection among media professionals on issues of press freedom and professional ethics. World Press Freedom Day is a day of support for media who are the target of restriction or abolition of press freedom. It is also a day of remembrance for journalists who have lost their lives in the exercise of their profession.

World Press Freedom Day was proclaimed by the General Assembly of the United Nations in 1993 following a recommendation adopted during the twenty-sixth session of the General Conference of UNESCO in 1991. this in turn was a response to a call by African journalists who in 1991 produced the historic Windhoek Declaration. on media pluralism and independence.

The Day is an opportunity to inform citizens of press freedom violations – a reminder that in dozens of countries around the world, publications are censored, fined, suspended and shut down, while journalists, editors and publishers are harassed, attacked, detained and even murdered.

It is a date to encourage and develop initiatives in favor of press freedom, and to assess the state of press freedom in the world.

You can get more information from the official UNESCO website here.