World Press Freedom Day 2023

Celebrated every 3^rd of May, this year’s theme for the Day will be “Shaping a Future of Rights: Freedom of expression as a driver for all other human rights” (working title), signifying the enabling element of freedom of expression to enjoy and protect all other human rights.

This anniversary edition of World Press Freedom Day will include a full day of activities at the UN Headquarters on 2^nd May. Partners from the media, academia, and civil society are invited to organize events in New York and around the world centered on this year’s theme.

Over the past 30 years, World Press Freedom Day celebrations have taken us on a journey, giving prominence to the right to free expression and emphasizing various aspects of press freedom’s importance. However, in the face of multiple crises, media freedom, journalist safety, and freedom of expression, as well as other human rights are increasingly under attack.

As we enter the final decade to meet all countries’ ambitions for the Sustainable Development Goals and to fulfil the commitments made by every Member State of the United Nations to the future of the planet, World Press Freedom Day is a call to recentre and reaffirm freedom of expression, as a necessary precondition for the enjoyment of all other human rights.

Find out more on World Press Freedom Day Concept Note and the WPFD website.

World Press Freedom Day 2023 will also be the occasion to award the UNESCO/Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize, which recognizes and honours the contributions of journalists, particularly those who risk their lives to provide essential information to the public.