Just days following the International Day to End Impunity, a draft resolution on the Safety of journalists and the issue of impunity, now cosponsored by over 60 states, will be voted on by the Third Committee tomorrow and then hopefully go before the plenary of the UN General Assembly in New York early next month. Of particular interest is the resolution’s call to make the International Day to End Impunity an official UN day to be commemorated on 2 November.
The draft resolution follows:
United Nations A/C.3/68/L.40/Rev.1
General Assembly
Promotion and protection of human
rights: human rights questions, including alternative approaches for improving
the effective enjoyment of human rights and fundamental freedoms
Albania,
Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belgium, Bosnia
and
Herzegovina, Brazil, Bulgaria, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Croatia,
Cyprus,
Czech Republic, El Salvador, Estonia, France, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Hungary,
Ireland, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Luxembourg, Mali, Malta, Netherlands, Nigeria,
Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Republic of Korea, Romania,
Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Tunisia, Turkey, United States of America
and Uruguay: revised draft resolution
Safety of journalists and the issue of
impunity
The General Assembly,
Guided by the purposes and principles of the
Charter of the United Nations, Reaffirming the Universal Declaration of
Human Rights1 and recalling relevant international human rights treaties,
including the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights2 and the
International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced
Disappearance,3 as well as the Geneva Conventions of 19494 and the Additional
Protocols thereto,5
Recalling the United Nations Plan of Action on
the Safety of Journalists and the Issue of Impunity, endorsed by the United
Nations System Chief Executives Board for Coordination on 12 April 2012, in
which United Nations agencies, funds and programmes were invited to work with
Member States towards a free and safe environment for journalists and media workers
in both conflict and non-conflict situations, with a view to strengthening
peace, democracy and development worldwide,
Recalling also Human Rights Council resolutions 21/12 of 27 September 2012 on the safety of journalists, 20/8 of 5 July 2012 on the promotion, protection and enjoyment
of human rights on the Internet and 24/15 of 27 September
2012 on the World Programme for Human Rights Education and Human Rights Council
decision 24/116 of 26 September 2013 on a panel
discussion on the safety of journalists, as well as Security Council resolution
1738 (2006) of 23 December 2006, Taking note of
the reports of the Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the
right to freedom of opinion and expression6 and the Special Rapporteur on
extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions,7 submitted to the Human Rights
Council at its twentieth session,
Commending the role and the activities of the
Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and the United
Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization with regard to the
safety of journalists and the issue of impunity,
Taking note with appreciation of the report of the Office of the
United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights on good practices on the
safety of journalists,8 submitted to the Human Rights Council at its
twenty-fourth session, Noting with appreciation the international
conference on the safety of journalists held in Warsaw on 23 and 24 April 2013
and its specific recommendations,
Acknowledging that journalism is continuously
evolving to include inputs from media institutions, private individuals and a
range of organizations that seek, receive and impart information and ideas of
all kinds, online as well as offline, in the exercise of freedom of opinion and
expression, in accordance with article 19 of the International Covenant on
Civil and Political Rights, thus contributing to shape public debate,
Recognizing the relevance of freedom of expression
and of free media in building
knowledge-inclusive societies and democracies and in fostering intercultural
dialogue, peace and good governance, Recognizing also that the work of
journalists often puts them at specific risk of intimidation, harassment and
violence, Taking note of the good practices of different countries aimed
at the protection of journalists, as well as, inter alia, those designed for
the protection of human rights defenders that can, where applicable, be
relevant to the protection of journalists,
Recognizing that the number of people whose lives
are influenced by the way information is presented is significant and that
journalism influences public opinion,
Bearing in mind that impunity for attacks against
journalists constitutes one of the main challenges to strengthening the
protection of journalists, Recalling in this regard that journalists,
media professionals and associated personnel engaged in dangerous professional
missions in areas of armed conflict shall be considered as civilians and shall
be respected and protected as such, provided that they take no action adversely
affecting their status as civilians,
Expressing concern at the threat to the safety of
journalists posed by non-State actors, including terrorist groups and criminal
organizations, Acknowledging the
specific risks faced by women journalists in the exercise of their work, and
underlining, in this context, the importance of taking a gender-sensitive approach
when considering measures to address the safety of journalists,
1. Takes note with appreciation of
the United Nations Plan of Action on the Safety of Journalists and the Issue of
Impunity;
2. Condemns unequivocally all
attacks and violence against journalists and media workers, such as torture,
extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances and arbitrary detention, as
well as intimidation and harassment in both conflict and non-conflict
situations;
3. Decides to proclaim 2
November as the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against
Journalists;
4. Requests the United Nations
Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, in consultation with
relevant entities of the United Nations system, and mindful of the provisions
of the annex to Economic and Social Council resolution 1980/67 of 25 July 1980,
to facilitate the implementation of the International Day in collaboration with
Governments and relevant stakeholders;
5. Urges Member States to do
their utmost to prevent violence against journalists and media workers, to
ensure accountability through the conduct of impartial, speedy and effective
investigations into all alleged violence against journalists and media workers
falling within their jurisdiction, and to bring the perpetrators of such crimes
to justice and to ensure that victims have access to appropriate remedies;
6. Calls upon States to promote
a safe and enabling environment for journalists to perform their work
independently and without undue interference, including by means of:
(a) legislative measures;
(b) awareness-raising in the judiciary
and among law enforcement officers and military personnel, as well as among
journalists and in civil society, regarding international human rights and humanitarian
law obligations and commitments relating to the safety of journalists;
(c) the monitoring and reporting of
attacks against journalists; (d) publicly condemning attacks; and (e) dedicating
the resources necessary to investigate and
prosecute such attacks;
7. Invites the relevant
agencies, organizations, funds and programmes of the United Nations system to
consider identifying focal points for the exchange of information about the implementation
of the United Nations Plan of Action on the Safety of Journalists and the Issue
of Impunity, in cooperation with Member States and under the overall
coordination of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization;
8. Requests the
Secretary-General to report to the General Assembly at its
sixty-ninth
session on the implementation of the present resolution.
20 November 2013
Sixty-eighth session
Third Committee
Agenda item 69 (b)
__________________
1 Resolution 217 A (III).
2 See resolution 2200 A (XXI), annex.
3 Resolution 61/177, annex.
4 United Nations, Treaty Series,
vol. 75, Nos. 970-973.
5 Ibid., vol. 1125, Nos. 17512 and
17513.
6 A/HRC/20/17.
7 A/HRC/20/22 and Corr.1.
8 A/HRC/24/23.
Courtesy - IFEX
