Good laws, political leadership necessary for media freedom, says OSCE Permanent Council Chair, in Warsaw
The implementation of good laws and sharing of best practices are essential to fulfilling OSCE commitments on media freedom, the Chair of the OSCE Permanent Council, Ambassador Ihor Prokopchuk of Ukraine, told participants at a human dimension seminar on media freedom legal framework Monday.
The OSCE's Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights is hosting a Human Dimension Seminar on protecting and promoting free media, Warsaw,13 May 2013.
More than 100 representatives from governments, international organizations and academia from the OSCE region attended the seminar, which focused on how to build a legal environment to support media freedom.
“Efficient implementation of the OSCE commitments in the area of media freedom remains an integral part of the OSCE’s concept of comprehensive security. It is important that nations come together to learn from one another on how to create a legal environment most conducive to protecting and promoting free media and media pluralism,” Prokopchuk said. “That is why we are here today, to share those best practices on legislation and, equally important, on how to implement these laws in order to best honour OSCE commitments in the field of media freedom.”
In a keynote speech, the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Dunja Mijatović, touched upon the role of media legislation.
“In order to really live up to the notion of freedom, legislation should be kept to a minimum; otherwise media freedom and media pluralism are under threat. This applies to all media, in all contexts, regardless of whether we are discussing print media, broadcasting or new media,” Mijatović said.“In addition to sound legislation, we also need proactive support from politicians, legislators and the judiciary alike.”
Douglas Wake, First Deputy Director of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights, stressed the importance free media play in safeguarding basic human rights.
“Media freedom is an essential element of the broader rights to freedom of opinion and expression, as well as the freedom to receive and impart information without interference and regardless of frontiers,” Wake said. “As all OSCE participating States reaffirmed at their 2010 Summit in Astana, free media, together with civil society, play an important role in helping to ensure full respect for human rights, democracy and the rule of law.”
Source: Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe
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