The Board of WAN-IFRA notes with dismay that at least 1190 journalists have been reported killed in the line of duty since 1992. It calls for urgent measures by all relevant parties to halt this situation, and for concrete actions to be supported and facilitated, wherever appropriate, so that better protection for the global media industry is achieved.

The Board of WAN-IFRA reiterates its call for greater solidarity among media to prioritise the issue of safety and to combat attacks against journalists, with the aim of finding common solutions for the entire industry that ensure safety is a right of the many, not a privilege of the few.

Furthermore, the Board of WAN-IFRA recognises that there are no easy solutions to preventing the killing of journalists and that it is only through the actions of multiple stakeholders working in harmony that an effective, holistic, and multi-dimensional approach will have long-lasting impact.

Recognising the important global role of the United Nations and its agencies, notably UNESCO, in efforts to better protect media worldwide, and in furtherance of WAN-IFRA’s commitment to assist in the implementation of the United Nations Plan of Action on the Safety of Journalists and the Issue of Impunity, the Board of WAN-IFRA calls on the media industry to lend its support to the creation of a Special Representative for the Safety of Journalists that will work at the highest level of the United Nations system.

The role will oversee a coordinated UN and civil society response to the issue of safety for journalists, ensuring efficient and effective handling of all violations against media, and acting with decisiveness - via the political weight of the office of the Secretary General of the United Nations - to oblige UN Member States to investigate, prosecute and eventually eradicate crimes against journalists.

The Board of WAN-IFRA therefore endorses the ProtectOurJournalists initiative, WAN-IFRA’s strategic advocacy campaign designed to lead to the creation of the role of Special Representative. Under this initiative, the Board urges WAN-IFRA Members to:

1)   Join the campaign by endorsing the call and pledging public support via the website www.ProtectOurJournalists.org;

2)   Commit to lobbying their national government representatives and United Nations delegations to help build the necessary political support for the creation of the Special Representative role ahead of an eventual vote on the floor of the United Nations General Assembly.