UK and others call for action to uphold safety of journalists and media freedom against a deteriorating background within some OSCE countries
[Delivered in French]
Mr. Chair, dear Ministers, Ambassadors and delegates, I would like to share the following statement on behalf of the Informal Group of Friends of the Safety of Journalists, namely: Austria, Canada, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Greece, Latvia, Lithuania, Montenegro, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, the United Kingdom, the United States of America, and my own country, France.
The following countries aligned themselves with the statement: Albania, Andorra, Belgium, Bosnia-Herzgovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czechia, Iceland, Ireland, Liechtenstein, Luxemburg, Malta, Moldova, North Macedonia, Poland, Portugal, Romania, San Marino, Slovenia, Switzerland, Ukraine.
The nomination of the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media (RFOM) is crucial to giving a voice and leadership to this key issue. We believe there is no genuine security without media freedom, and no media freedom without journalists being able to carry out their work safely and freely. The RFOM and the Representative's office help participating States fulfil their commitments, provide essential advice and guidance, and support the work of national and international media associations and Civil Society Organizations. We also expect the RFOM to fulfill the early warning and rapid response function of their mandate in cases of serious non-compliance with our shared commitments in respect of freedom of expression, including in respect of protection of
