As Rwanda joins the rest of the world to celebrate the World Press Freedom Day, the UN Resident Coordinator, Lamin Manneh, gives an insight into the state of press freedom and Rwanda and what more needs to be done for a vibrant media sector.
As Rwanda joins the rest of the world to celebrate the World Press Freedom Day, the UN Resident Coordinator, Lamin Manneh, gives an insight into the state of press freedom and Rwanda and what more needs to be done for a vibrant media sector.
Why the press freedom day?
Lamin Manneh: 70 years ago, after the end of the Second World War, there was a realization that severely controlled media could be used to subject a population to highly toxic propaganda and malicious indoctrination.
Thus, an important UN agency was created, the UNESCO, with, among its values, the responsibility to promote "The free flow of ideas by word and image” among nations.
In December 1993, the UN General Assembly declared May 3rd as the World Press Freedom Day as a constant reminder of the importance of media freedom and its relationship with democracy, human rights and development.