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The Foreign & Commonwealth Office of the United Kingdom and Global Affairs Canada recently (10 July 2020) issued the following statement to mark the one-year anniversary of the first Global Conference for Media Freedom.

One year ago, our two countries co-hosted the first Global Conference for Media Freedom in London to respond with a united front to ongoing challenges faced by journalists and media workers throughout the world.

The event launched significant international efforts to protect and promote media freedom that continue today. This was made possible with the collaboration of the Media Freedom Coalition, which since its launch has grown to 36 members, their Advisory Network, and the High-Level Panel of Legal Experts, all of which were formed as a direct result of this conference.

As co-chairs of the Media Freedom Coalition, we remain committed to leveraging innovative and coordinated international approaches to ensuring safe and secure environments for journalists; regardless of the issues they cover or the borders they cross. Our societies cannot function without the independent media that hold us all to account.

This one year anniversary marks the perfect moment to reflect upon our progress, and to anticipate and respond to emerging challenges, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, with renewed vigour and collective resolve.

Further information

• 36 countries have signed the Global Pledge on Media Freedom, first introduced at the Global Conference for Media Freedom in London.
• The Media Freedom Coalition was officially launched in September 2019, on the margins of the United Nations General Assembly.
• In 2019, the High-Level Panel of Legal Experts On Media Freedom was established to protect and encourage the functioning of a free media, and to prevent and reverse abuses or violations of media freedom.
• This week, the UK established the Global Human Rights sanctions regime. This is a powerful new tool to hold to account those involved in serious human rights violations or abuses, including against journalists and media workers. The UK will continue to seek international cooperation on sanctions, including with Canada and the US which already have similar sanctions regimes.

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Contact for media enquiries - newsdesk@fco.gov.uk