Statement of the meeting of the civil society delegates of the 2nd UN Inter-Agency meeting on the Safety of Journalists and the issue of Impunity.

• Welcome and endorse the UN Plan of Action on the Safety of Journalists and the Issue of Impunity with the expectation that the United Nations and the member states will engage all stakeholders, including civil society and media, in its implementation in a participatory and inclusive manner;

• In particular, we welcome the emphasis on the preventative and protective safety measures outlined in the Plan of Action as a starting point to guarantee safety of journalists;

• We also appreciate the efforts to map and continue to identify good practices with the expectations that they can be shared among civil society and media and replicated where appropriate to inspire the implementation of the Plan of Action;

• We agree to support the implementation of the Plan of Action in mutual cooperation and partnership among international, regional and national stakeholders, while also monitoring and assessing the Plan’s impact;

• We expect that the implementation of the UN Action Plan will complement existing and on-going civil social initiatives at the national levels;

• At the same time, we believe that national mechanisms need to be further developed and strengthened to ensure a broad-based, comprehensive and inclusive approach based on local ownership;

• We underscore the need to support the establishment of special national and regional mechanisms to address impunity and ensure the effective implementation of such structures where they exist;

• In the initial phase, while calling on UN and members states’ obligation to prevent attacks and combat impunity globally, we recommend the implementation of the Plan of Action in a comprehensive manner in the countries of Nepal, Iraq, Pakistan, South Sudan, Mexico and Honduras

Signed by:

World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers

Index on Censorship

PEN International

International Federation of Journalists

International Press Institute

Committee to Protect Journalists

Reporters Without Borders

Freedom House

ARTICLE 19

Intermedia, Pakistan

Open Society Foundations

International Media Support

Doha Centre for Media Freedom

Free Press Unlimited

IREX

Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung
Media Program South East Europe

Media Legal Defence Initiative

Press Emblem Campaign

World Press Freedom Committee

International News Safety Institute

Centre for Freedom of the Media

Syrian Journalists Association