The award was launched during the Global Conference for Media Freedom, which is being co-hosted by Botswana & Canada involving a broad group of experts, high-level government officials, journalists, media organizations, international organizations, and civil society representatives to address pressing challenges to media freedom worldwide, following its inauguration in London, United Kingdom, in 2019, a free press has become paramount to open societies that have to be protected around the world.
This year’s winner, the Belarusian Association of Journalists, was singled out for its ongoing commitment to journalistic ethics and principles and its perseverance and self-sacrifice in the face of increased targeted crackdowns on media in Belarus.
“It is a great honor for the Belarusian Association of Journalists to receive this award. We regard this award as a high appraisal of the work of our colleagues, who every day honestly cover events in Belarus, risking their freedom and health. Today, journalists in Belarus have to work under gunfire, literally, in a peaceful country. They are victims of police violence and are sentenced to long-term arrests for their work. We thank every voice in the world that speaks out for Belarusian journalists today! This is very important for our colleagues who remain imprisoned.”
– Andrei Bastunets, Chairperson of the Belarusian Association of Journalists
The Belarusian Association of Journalists (BAJ) is the only independent journalists’ union in the country and for the last 25 years, has supported independent journalism in Belarus and has reached 1,300 members in Minsk.
Members of the Media Freedom Coalition’s Executive Group expressed their concern about continued attacks on media freedom surrounding the August 9, 2020, presidential election in Belarus. According to the coalition, in September 2020, Media freedom is an important part of democratic societies and essential to the protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms.
Attendees discussed the impacts of COVID-19 on media freedom, the increasing damage of disinformation to public trust in journalism, and the prevalence of physical threats to journalists.
The communiqué underscored the progress made by UNESCO in supporting initiatives through the Global Media Defence Fund, including for grassroots organizations around the world. While welcoming the contributions of new donors to the fund, which will expand the reach and sustainability of the fund. It also announced the next ministerial meeting of the Media Freedom Coalition, to be held in Estonia in 2021 and the World Press Freedom Conference, on December 9 and 10, 2020, in The Hague, organized by the Netherlands and UNESCO.
The establishment of the Media Freedom Award is one part of Canadian-U.K. efforts to drive international action on improving the safety of journalists around the world.
This year’s conference which is in its second year was held virtually due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Members of the Media Freedom Coalition include Afghanistan, Argentina, Austria, Botswana, Bulgaria, Canada, Costa Rica, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Honduras, Iceland, Japan, Kosovo, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Maldives, Montenegro, the Netherlands, North Macedonia, Serbia, Seychelles, Slovakia, Sudan, Switzerland, Ukraine, the United Kingdom, Uruguay, the United States