Written question asked by Emily Thornberry (Labour) on Thursday, 7 March 2019, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 11 March 2019. It was answered by Mark Field (Conservative) on Thursday, 14 March 2019 on behalf of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

Journalism and Press Freedom

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent representations he has made at the United Nations on the potential merits of the creation of a UN Special Rapporteur with responsibility for monitoring the protection of journalists and press freedom.

Answer: The UK is strongly committed to freedom of the press and the protection of journalists. My Right Honourable Friend the Foreign Secretary has launched an international campaign on media freedom and will be co-hosting with Canada an international conference on 10-11 July to shine a global spotlight on these issues. As part of the campaign, we are exploring how we can reinforce and add value to existing mechanisms, including those of the UN and other international organisations. We most recently discussed the idea of a UN Special Rapporteur or Special Representative for the protection of journalists and media freedom with Under-Secretary General Menendez on February 7th. Ministers are exploring with the UN Secretary General how the UN system might best be strengthened, including whether the creation of such a role might add weight to global efforts.

Secondary information