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Joint Message by UN Secretary-General and UNESCO Director-General on occasion of World Press Freedom Day

23 April 2012 15:10 (UTC +04:00)

Baku â€“ APA. UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon and UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova issued joint message on the occasion of the World Press Freedom Day. â€œFreedom of expression is one of our most precious rights. It underpins every other freedom and provides a foundation for human dignity. Free, pluralistic and independent media is essential for its exercise. This is the message of World Press Freedom Day. Media freedom entails the freedom to hold opinions and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers, as stated in Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. This freedom is essential for healthy and vibrant societiesâ€, the message reads.

â€œWorld Press Freedom Day is our opportunity to raise the flag in the fight to advance media freedom. We call on States, professional media and non-governmental organizations everywhere to join forces with the United Nations to promote online and offline freedom of expression in accordance with internationally accepted principles. This is a pillar of individual rights, a foundation for healthy societies and a force for social transformationâ€, said Ban Ki-moon and Irina Bokova.