Registration for World Press Freedom Day in Accra Closes this Friday, 6 April 2018

Have you yet to register to join the global celebration of World Press Freedom Day 2018 on 2 and 3 May in Accra? Make sure to register online before 6 April 2018 to take part in the event and get a free visa on arrival.

On 2 and 3 May, Accra will be the site of the 25^th celebration of World Press Freedom Day, with a number of related events organized on 1 and 4 May. Under the global theme ‘Keeping Power in Check: Media, Justice and The Rule of Law’, the international conference will discuss how independent media can be strengthened so that it can fulfill its watchdog role – exposing electoral violations, gender-based inequalities and human rights abuses.

UNESCO and the Government of Ghana are expecting some 700 participants and high-profile speakers from governmental and international organizations, media organizations, academic institutions and civil society. Among them will be the President of the Republic of Ghana, Nana Akufo-Addo; Hina Jilani (Pakistan champion of human rights); the special rapporteurs on Freedom of Expression, David Kaye, Edison Lanza and Harlem Désir; the president of the ECOWAS Community Court of Justice, Jérôme Traoré; regional Chiefs of justice and Ministers of Information, as well as representatives of the African Union. Eminent journalists and media professionals, such as Rappler’s Executive director Maria Ressa, Ghana’s leading investigative journalist Anas Aremeyaw Anas and Stephen Dunbar-Johnson, New York Times President of International, will also speak in Accra.

The two-day event will feature two plenary sessions addressing new challenges to press freedom and the role of investigative journalism in uncovering corruption and political malpractice. On 2 May, the UNESCO/Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize 2018 will be awarded to recognize an outstanding contribution to the defence or promotion of press freedom.

The annual exhibition of World Press Photo will be an integral part of the celebration, offering participants the opportunity to discover the photos of the laureates of this year’s edition of the organization’s prestigious photojournalism competition, to be announced during April.

The 18 breakout sessions, which are organized by a wide range of partners, will cover topics ranging from the right to information through to internet shutdowns, “fake news”, and sexual harassment in the media industry. UNESCO will organize the joint launch of two major reports - the “World Trends in Freedom of Expression and Media Development” and its Global Report on “Re|Shaping Cultural Policies”

The University of Ghana will host an academic conference on the safety journalists, with original papers by researchers selected from among over 100 applicants.  For the first time at the WPFD global conference, a Policy Lab – facilitated by the Global Development Network - will nurture exchanges between policy actors and researchers.

Other highlights include film screenings, cultural performances and drop-in legal sessions for journalists.

Alongside major international and national media, a Youth Newsroom made up of 40 journalism will provide multi-media coverage of the full event.

To view the full programme, click here.

To access the online registration form, click here.

For further practical information regarding venue, airport shuttles, and visa, we invite you to check our website here.