Today, 6 May, Foreign Ministry Undersecretary for Global Affairs
Minna-Liina Lind participated in the UNESCO World Press Freedom Day (WPFD) conference in Brussels.
“Media freedom is one of the pillars of a democratic society,” Undersecretary Lind emphasised. “It does not appear by itself; instead, it requires consistent and coordinated cooperation both between international partners and institutions in order to protect journalists’ right to free expression and support meaningful public debate.”
Undersecretary Lind highlighted Estonia’s second place in the annual World Press Freedom Index of Reporters Without Borders (RSF), published on Friday. “This historic result reflects our commitment to freedom of speech and expression,” Undersecretary Lind said. “We are consistently working to promote these values at international level. Since mid-2023, we have co-chaired the Media Freedom Coalition, through which we highlight the importance of the principles of freedom of expression and truth-based journalism. This year we will also lead the Freedom Online Coalition, where we will focus on protecting freedom of expression in the digital space.”
The conference also included a number of bilateral meetings, including with the UN Special Rapporteur on freedom of expression and opinion, Irene Khan; Director General of Journalists Without Borders, Thibaut Bruttin, and Chile’s Undersecretary of State, Nicole Cardoch Ramos. The meetings covered ways of promoting international cooperation, as well as how to strengthen the resilience of societies against disinformation.
Additional information
Communication Department
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