KABUL - Over the past days and in coming days, the United Nations is observing World Press Freedom Day around the globe – including in Afghanistan – with the aim of celebrating the fundamental principles of press freedom, evaluating press freedom, defending the media from attacks on their independence and paying tribute to journalists who have lost their lives in the exercise of their profession.

“Journalism provides a platform for informed discussion across a wide range of development issues – from environmental challenges and scientific progress to gender equality, youth engagement and peacebuilding,” said the UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon, and the Director-General of the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization’s (UNESCO), Irina Bokova, in a joint message for the Day.

“Only when journalists are at liberty to monitor, investigate and criticize policies and actions can good governance exist,” they added.

The Day is celebrated every year on 3 May in the wake of a proclamation of the UN General Assembly in December 1993, which followed a recommendation from the UNESCO General Conference. The focus this year is on three inter-related themes: the media’s importance in development; the safety of journalists and the rule of law; and the sustainability and integrity of journalism.

In their message, Mr. Ban and Ms. Bokova said current grave threats to press freedom around the world must be confronted.

“In many countries journalists and other media workers face systematic obstacles to reporting the truth, ranging from censorship, arrest and imprisonment to intimidation, attacks and even assassination,” the two UN officials said. “These outrageous abuses show that press freedom and the human rights it underpins are extremely fragile and must be actively defended.”

They called on governments and all those with influence to act by protecting journalists and other media workers, while also noting that the United Nations stands ready to do its part.

“UN bodies are already working together and with other partners under the leadership of UNESCO to create a free and safe environment for journalists and media workers around the world,” Mr. Ban and Ms. Bokova said. "On this World Press Freedom Day, we call on all States, societies and individuals to actively defend freedom of expression and press freedom as fundamental rights and as critical contributions to achieving the Millennium Development Goals and advancing the post-2015 development agenda."

In Afghanistan, a number of journalists - both national and international - have been killed over recent months. The killings have drawn condemnation from the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), as well as others, with UNAMA’s head, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Afghanistan, Ján Kubiš, urging the authorities to do all in their power to bring those responsible to justice.

As part of its of observance of World Press Freedom Day, UNAMA has organized several roundtable discussions, covered by the media, in different regions of the country – in the southern province of Kandahar, the western province of Herat, the northern province of Balkh and the eastern province of Nangarhar. The discussions have involved media experts, academics, governmental officials, civil society representatives and UN officials.

“Afghan journalists, and the media in general, played an important part and will continue to play an important part in the historic 5 April [Presidential and Provincial Council] electoral process, particularly by informing voters of every step of the process – the UN commends their work and encourages them to continue in this regard, not only for the electoral process, but for the coming year when Afghanistan enters its Transformation Decade,” UNAMA National Spokesperson Nazif Salarzai said at the roundtable discussion in Jalalabad, the capital city of Nangahar, on Thursday.

“The Government needs to recognize media as a driving force for a better future of the country instead of describing it as an enemy,” said the head of the Western Region Civil Society Network, Khalil Parsa, at the televised discussion in Herat. He also said that Afghan media has been playing a significant role for supporting civil society in Afghanistan and, in particular, in the country’s west.

In his comments in the Herat discussion, a prominent journalist, Wahab Sadiqi, called on the Afghan Government to step up its support for Afghan media, particularly in the provision of protection for journalists.

Speaking in the same discussion, a professor from the University of Herat’s Faculty of Journalism, Sohaila Erfani, said that an independent media acquires its power from the public and, in return, it supports the country as it engages in the democratic process. She also stressed the need for safety training for journalists so that they are able to protect themselves from threats while carrying out their work.

In Mazar-e-Sharif, senior journalists and professors from the Faculty of Journalism at Balkh University participated in the discussions, focusing on the importance of an independent media sector and freedom of press since the fall of the Taliban regime in 2001.

“I praise the work of the media community, in particular the younger journalists who have supported democracy in Afghanistan by bringing the truth to the public,” said a professor of Journalism, Sayed Abdul Hamid Safowat. “I also believe that there is still a long way to go for the Afghan media to meet international standards.”

In his remarks to that discussion, the provincial head of the Afghan media watch-dog group, Nai – Supporting Open Media in Afghanistan, emphasized the importance of capacity-building of the media by the country’s educational institutions.

At the Kandahar roundtable discussion, the progress achieved by the Afghan media since the fall of the Taliban regime in 2001 was flagged, particularly in relation to the recent Presidential and Provincial Council elections.

“The whole world was astonished to see the success of the election process and the media played a pivotal role in achieving this success,” another UNAMA National Spokesperson, Nilab Mobarez, told that discussion.

At the same gathering, the local head of the Government’s Media and Information Centre, Dawa Khan Menapal, said that Afghanistan has made significant progress in the freedom of expression. “The media has also played a very crucial role in the emergency Loya Jirga, previous elections, and now in the recent elections in the month of April,” Mr. Menapal added.

Other events linked to the Day included the annual UNESCO/Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize ceremony, which took place on Friday at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris. For the ceremony, an international, independent jury of media professionals recognized Turkish investigative journalist Ahmet Sik as the winner of the $25,000 prize. Also, early next week, UNESCO will hold an international conference at its headquarters, with a focus on journalists’ security, the struggle against impunity and trends in press freedom.