May 3 is World Press Freedom Day. This year’s 31st edition of World Press Freedom Day is dedicated to environmental protection.
Under the theme, “A Press for the Planet” several events are scheduled to commemorate the anniversary which will highlight the importance of journalism in the face of the environmental crisis.
Throughout the years, Greece has been a staunch supporter of press freedom, fostering diversity and encouraging pluralism. Especially in light of the country’s candidacy for a seat at the United Nations Security Council for the 2025/26 biennium, Greece advocates that there can be no sustainability in our future, without independent journalism and impeded dissemination of information. This of course applies to all fields, but also to matters of environmental protection, an issue of paramount importance for Greece and a core priority of its UN Security Council candidacy.
To this end, the Hellenic Permanent Mission to the United Nations, together with the Missions of France and Lithuania, Co- Chairs of the Group of Friends for the Protection of Journalists, commemorated the anniversary by signing a statement which reaffirms the belief that
“journalistic integrity, is not merely a matter of professional concern, but a collective responsibility for the welfare of our planet and its inhabitants”.
Furthermore, ahead of World Press Freedom Day, the Permanent Mission of Greece to the United Nations, together with the Mission of the United States of America and the Wall Street Journal held an event which brought together journalists, UN Member States, and civil society leaders to discuss the judicial harassment of journalists around the world.