Chile hosts global event on World Press Freedom Day
The 31st World Press Freedom Day Conference 2024 takes place at the GAM.
President Gabriel Boric has inaugurated the 31st World Press Freedom Day Conference 2024, which is being held at the Gabriela Mistral Cultural Center (GAM). It will be attended by government authorities, representatives of the UN and UNESCO, and emblematic figures from communications and environmental care.
The conference, which is taking place under the motto “Press for the Planet: Journalism in the Face of the Environmental Crisis”, is part of World Press Freedom Day.
In that sense, President Boric highlighted the important role played by the press, especially as a guarantor of democracy around the world.
“(This conference) is a unique opportunity to highlight the central role of the press, journalists, and social and community communicators, who serve as guarantors of democracy,” Gabriel Boric, President of Chile.
In this regard, he added that the press, “as important actors, face up to current challenges in the protection of human rights, transparency, the accountability of authorities, and the construction of better-informed and more participatory societies.”
“To see you all gathered here demonstrates Chile’s commitment to the defense and promotion of press freedom, to the protection of journalists and to free access to information, which are fundamental for a vibrant democracy, for a solid democracy, and also for the respect of human rights. And this is especially important in a complex world where we cannot take any of these things for granted, where democracy is threatened by wars, by growing insecurity, where it seems that it is sometimes tempting to give up certain freedoms in pursuit of more security. A difficult balance, which those of us who are democrats must know how to face with great determination,” he emphasized.
Milestone on World Press Freedom Day
During the conference, Foreign Affairs Minister Alberto Van Klaveren and Minister Secretary General of Government Camila Vallejo highlighted that our country rose 31 places in the Reporters Without Borders ranking.
“Our country had registered a systematic decline since 2016, and as a government we have made every effort to center this discussion. Now it is rising again in this important international indicator. Although this is good news, it challenges us to continue advancing in this matter,” Minister Vallejo indicated.
