World Press Freedom Conference (9 December 2020)

The Minister took part in the World Press Freedom Conference today hosted by the Netherlands and UNESCO. He called on the international community to take action to defend press freedom, especially with regard to the manipulation of information, which jeopardizes the exercise of citizenship.

The Minister underscored France’s efforts within international bodies to defend media pluralism and independence and to support the freedom to inform and to be informed. As yet again this year at least 40 journalists were killed as a result of their professional activities, Jean-Yves Le Drian reiterated our unwavering commitment to fighting impunity for crimes against journalists.

The Minister invited the participating countries to join the Partnership for Information and Democracy launched in 2019 within the framework of the Alliance for Multilateralism, which now includes 38 nations determined to promote access – in conjunction with civil society – to reliable information from free and independent media.