Ahead of the United Nations’ Summit of the Future that began Sunday, the Committee to Protect Journalists and 123 other signatories released a statement September 19, 2024, welcoming the final revision of the Pact for the Future and urging strong action to safeguard media freedom, freedom of expression, and access to information.
The Pact for the Future is an agreement by world leaders that aims to boost implementation of the U.N.’s Sustainable Development Goals as the roadmap for overcoming crises and securing a better future for all. CPJ had earlier called for previous drafts of the Pact to be strengthened, with those recommendations largely being reflected in the final text of the Pact and its appendix, the Global Digital Compact.
Recognizing the significant threats facing the world’s media and journalists and “the utmost importance of access to information and freedom of expression in empowering people to address shared needs,” the joint statement calls on member states and the U.N. to not only uphold their commitments in the agreed texts but to also “take further actions that align with key international human rights frameworks.”
Read the statement here.