Greetings. The topic of this conference is a matter of the highest priority.

The freedom to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media – in the words of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights – is crucial to enabling the exercise of all other human rights.

 Both 'real life' and digital media serve as watchdogs. They are also early warning systems for all kinds of dysfunction that can occur in any country. Furthermore, they empower people to make better choices, including in the context of elections. We cannot participate fully in decision-making, or in democracy, if we are inadequately informed about events.

But despite this crucial value of independent media in times of crisis, journalists and media workers have if anything been targeted for even more intimidation, killings, violence, arbitrary detentions and prosecutions during the pandemic than they were before.

In 2021, the Committee to Protect Journalist confirmed that 27 journalists around the world were killed because of their work – and this was certainly an undercount. India and Mexico had the largest number of these killings – and this unbearable situation is made even worse by the fact that most attacks against journalists are not investigated nor prosecuted. UNESCO has found that fewer than one in ten cases leads to the a conviction. There is an urgent need for renewed efforts to tackle impunity for crimes against journalists. and hold the perpetrators of these crimes accountable – whether they be private individuals or agents of the State.

In several countries, emergency powers and exceptional measures have clearly been misused to justify censorship and excessive restriction of the movement of media workers, as well as arbitrary arrests and detentions. In 2021, Reporters Sans Frontières counted 488 journalists who were detained because of their work – an increase of 20% compared to 2020. Belarus, China, Myanmar, Saudi Arabia and Vietnam are among the countries with the highest number of journalists jailed.

Reporters have been targeted for online and offline harassment, including by political leaders. Women reporters are often the target of particularly vicious harassment and smear campaigns. Journalists covering demonstrations, or investigating allegations of corruption, have been attacked, including by police and security forces.

The United Nations has urged States to strengthen their efforts for the safety of journalists, with emphasis on the gender dimensions of attacks. Emphasising the importance of these issues to national and global development, the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development requires States to report on the number of killings, kidnappings, enforced disappearances, arbitrary detentions and torture of media workers.

Alongside your discussion on the protection of journalists, this conference will take a close look at some key issues related to the Internet, including disinformation and internet freedom.

The Human Rights Council has repeatedly affirmed that people's human rights, including the rights to freedom of expression and information, are the same online as offline. All of us have human rights in the digital sphere, and those rights must be protected.

But increasingly, we see people's digital access being shut down when demonstrations occur. This was recently the case in Kazakhstan and Sudan, but we have also deplored an 18-month shutdown in Indian-administered Kashmir. Blanket Internet shutdowns  contravene international human rights law.

I am also concerned that media workers and others are increasingly targeted for surveillance by Governments, using powerful spyware such as Pegasus and Candiru. This has contributed to arbitrary detention and torture. I urge Governments to impose a moratorium on the sale and transfer of surveillance technology until its compliance with human rights standards can be assured.

The digital sphere also accelerates the spread and magnitude of what the UN Secretary-General has termed “the dangerous epidemic of misinformation” around COVID-19.

The antidote to that epidemic of misinformation and disinformation is objective investigative and fact-checking by independent reporters, in a context of accountable governance that retains the public's trust. But far too often, my Office receives reports of officials using the "fake news" label to undercut criticism and legitimate reporting. Human rights guidance is particularly important to ensure that so called "fake news" laws do not become a tool for silencing critical voices.

Free, independent and pluralistic media and press, including in minorities’ languages, play a central role in every democratic society. When we defend media freedom, we defend justice, good governance and human rights. 

Thank you