NAMIBIA TO HOST WORLD PRESS FREEDOM DAY CONFERENCE

File: Executive chairperson of the Namibia Media Trust Gwen Lister presents President Hage Geingob with a framed copy of the Windhoek Declaration during the 2017 World Press Freedom Day celebratory event

Windhoek, NAMIBIA

Namibia has set its sight on hosting the 2021 World Press Freedom Day conference, to coincide with the 30-year anniversary of the Windhoek Declaration.

A formal bid by the ministry of information was submitted to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (Unesco) late last year.

Minister of information and communication technology Stanley Simataa confirmed government's eagerness to host the event.

“Cabinet has approved the hosting of the 2021 World Press Freedom Day (WPFD) conference in Windhoek, Namibia, to coincide with the 30th anniversary of the Windhoek Declaration for the development of a free, independent and pluralistic press,” he said.

The Windhoek Declaration is a statement of press freedom principles founded by African newspaper journalists on 3 May 1991.

According to Unesco, 3 May is commemorated to celebrate the fundamental principles of press freedom, evaluate press freedom around the world, defend the media from attacks on their independence and pay tribute to journalists who have lost their lives in the exercise of their profession.

This year's World Press Freedom Day conference will take place in the Hague, Netherlands. The theme is 'Journalism without Fear or Favour'.

Namibia Media Trust (NMT) executive director Gwen Lister, a well-known champion for media freedom, stressed the significance of the World Press Freedom Day 2021 being hosted by Namibia, saying it would come at an opportune time.

“As the birthplace of the [Windhoek] Declaration, which put the demand for free, independent and pluralistic media squarely on the African and world map, it is also critical that Namibia at the same time re-commit to freedom of speech and the media, not only here, but also further afield,” she said.

Lister said it will be a proud moment for the government to host WPFD 2021.

She added that it would be fitting for Namibia to maintain its high ranking on press freedom at the time of hosting the event. Lister said despite president Hage Geingob showing his commitment to press freedom, there have been worrying signs of late, one of which is the promised Access to Information Act that has yet to become a reality.

“The NMT will work closely with partners in the Ministry of Information and Communication Technology and Unesco, to make sure that we not only pull it off, but make it one of the most successful WPFD events to date. As a chair of the seminar where the historic Declaration was adopted, it is also a proud moment for me personally to witness WPFD coming home to Namibia,” Lister said.

Editor's Forum of Namibia (EFN) chairperson Frank Steffen said the discussion surrounding Namibia's bid to host the World Press Freedom conference has been on the cards for a long time, and the forum has endorsed the idea and is waiting for the final arrangements by the government, and for Unesco approval.

Speaking to Africa yesterday, Steffen said the EFN would welcome Namibia hosting the conference and, should Namibia receive Unesco's approval, all the relevant stakeholders would need to be involved, including the journalists of the year.

“Following our discussions with the government, we provided them with a letter to confirm our interest in the conference. Once we get a green light, we would need to consult extensively with other media members such as the Namibia Media Trust and get a working committee, solely meant for this project,” he said.

The chairperson further stated that if Namibia wins the bid to host World Press Freedom Day 2021, and the EFN is entrusted with organising it, they would review the programme and all details involved, and would need the financial support of the government to pull it off.

“Namibia has the capacity to pull off this event, but we will need to have all stakeholders involved on board and [to] get the necessary financial support from the government,” Steffen noted.

Meanwhile, Namibia's global press freedom ranking has dropped for two consecutive years, namely for 2017 and 2018, standing at 24 and 26 respectively, according to the Reporters Without Borders' World Press Freedom Index. However, in 2019 the ranking improved to 23. - Africa