> IFEX - News from the international freedom of expression community
> _________________________________________________________________
>
> PRESS RELEASE - INTERNATIONAL
>
> 8 July 2002
>
> IFJ outlines challenge of globalisation for World Summit on Information
> Society
>
> SOURCE: International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), Brussels
>
> (IFJ/IFEX) - The following is a 5 July 2002 IFJ media release:
>
> IFJ Outlines Challenge of Globalisation for World Summit on Information
> Society
>
> The International Federation of Journalists, the world's largest
> organisation of journalists, set out its action plan for the UN World
Summit
> on Information Society to take place in Geneva in 2003 and Tunis in 2005,
> and called for globalisation to respect social and professional rights of
> journalists.
>
> The Swiss Federation of Journalists (SFJ), representing the IFJ during the
> Preparatory Committee for Civil Society from 1 to 5 July 2002 in Geneva,
> introduced the position of journalists during a working session on media
> professionals.
>
> The action plan recalls essential principles for media in a global
> information society: respect of the right to report for journalists and
the
> right of citizens to receive quality information, the protection of
> journalists and media workers, the promotion of pluralism and actions to
> counter concentration of media in the hands of a few powerful
corporations.
>
> In a context of growing globalisation and digitalisation, media
> professionals are particularly concerned by issues such as the protection
of
> authors' rights, the defence of public service broadcasting, secure
working
> conditions and solidarity with developing countries. "A global digital
> environment should also be able to respect the rights of journalists, to
> ensure that governments fulfill their legal obligations and to support
> solidarity with the less technologically advanced countries", says the
IFJ.
>
> The IFJ also expresses its surprise at the decision to hold a summit on
> information society in 2005 in Tunisia, a country where press freedom is
> still far from being established. "If Tunisia has to be the place to hold
> such an event, then we expect the UN to urge the Tunisian authorities to
> change their attitude towards freedom of expression and workers' rights",
> says the IFJ.
>
> The IFJ represents more than 500,000 journalists in more than 100
countries.
>
> For further information, contact the IFJ, International Press Centre,
> Residence Palace, Block C, 155 Rue de la Loi, B-1040 Brussels, Belgium,
tel:
> +322 235 2200 or +322 235 22 01, fax: +322 235 22 19, e-mail:
> [email protected], Internet: http://www.ifj.org/
>
> The information contained in this press release is the sole responsibility
> of IFJ. In citing this material for broadcast or publication, please
credit
> IFJ.
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