> Emphasis on Freedom of Expression in Concluding Documents of a WSIS
> Follow-up Conference
>
>
> 2 December 2004
>
> Freedom of expression and press freedom are at the core of the
> construction of an inclusive and people-centred knowledge society stated
> the concluding documents of a three-day UNESCO-supported conference on
> the role of African and Arab media in the Information Society, which
> took place from 22 to 24 November 2004 in Marrakech.
>
> The conference was organised by the Moroccan Ministry of Information on
> the initiative of the International Network of UNESCO Chairs in
> Communication (ORBICOM) and the Swiss Federal Office of Communication as
> a follow-up meeting to the 1st phase of the World Summit on the
> Information Society (WSIS). More than 270 representatives of
> international and regional media professional and non-governmental
> organisations as well as media experts from the academic world and the
> media industry participated in the event.
>
> The conference's themes for discussion included the media's place in the
> information society; media freedom in cyberspace; impact of the digital
> divide on media; media and cultural diversity; women in the media; media
> ownership issues and the media's position in Internet governance.
>
> The Marrakech Declaration and the Plan of Action adopted by the
> conference participants stressed the importance of allowing journalists
> to carry out their duties without interference from governments. It also
> emphasized that press freedom stems from the level of governments'
> commitment to democratic values. The Marrakech Declaration prominently
> reaffirmed Article 19 of the Universal Declaration on Human Rights
> saying that "Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and
> expression" and implicitly recognized that many governments only pay lip
> service to such freedom inviting them to move from the "promise of
> Article 19 to its universal implementation".
>
> Further, the Marrakech Declaration claimed that media should be involved
> as full partners in the construction of the Information Society,
> emphasizing media's vital function of gathering, checking, producing and
> distributing diverse news and content. Participants reiterated the role
> of a free press in holding governments accountable to the people, by
> accurately reporting on their activities and plans, by providing a forum
> for open debates so that policy makers can assess public opinion. In
> this context the Marrakech Declaration stressed the importance of
> domestic legislations guaranteeing the independence and plurality of
> media in order to allow them to function effectively and responsibly.
>
> The Marrakech forum spoke out unequivocally about not allowing concerns
> of Internet governance to open the door for heavy handed regulation of
> the internet. The Marrakech Declaration encouraged "better cooperation
> on Internet management" and called for "respect of multilinguism" and
> "affordable global connectivity". It also emphasized that "national
> security and the battle against crime and terrorism" should not be used
> as a pretext to imperil freedom of expression and press freedom.
>
> The Moroccan Minister of Information, Mr Mohammed Nabil Benabdallah is
> sending the Marrakech Declaration and Plan of Action to the UN
> Secretary-General in order to be presented to the preparatory meeting of
> the 2nd phase of the World Summit on the Information Society with the
> expectation that its recommendations will influence the outcome of the
> final summit in Tunisia in 2005.
>
> Source: UNESCO
>