In an interview with Prensa Latina, the expert addressed a situation that is increasingly disturbing due to its consequences and highlighted UNESCO’s decision to dedicate it to World Press Freedom Day, to be celebrated on May 3rd. “This is a relevant fact because it will be the first time in three decades that the UN proposes to focus the day on the relationship between freedom of expression and the environmental crisis that humanity is experiencing,” he stressed.

“We see with concern the significant increase in the phenomenon, hence our expectations that World Press Freedom Day will constitute a platform for debate about the protection of professionals and the fight against misinformation that erodes people’s trust in pressing issues,” Canela said.

He announced that on May 3rd, UNESCO will launch a report on the violence suffered by journalists in charge of covering the environmental agenda.

The expert also mentioned the holding in Chile, from May 2nd to 4th, of a conference focused on climate disorders and freedom of the press, a forum that will be inaugurated by the Director General of UNESCO, Audrey Azoulay, and the president of Chile, Gabriel Boric, with the participation of interested parties from all regions of the world.

“We hope at the conference in Santiago de Chile to discuss various topics, among them the fight against impunity in crimes against professionals, and for this, we will discuss with judges, prosecutors, lawyers, and of course, with those affected,” he told Prensa Latina.

The functionary considers it necessary to remind States of their obligation to comply with the so-called three PS: prevention, protection, and procurement of justice for victims of violence in the exercise of their work, a hostile phenomenon that is increasingly present on the Internet.

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