Elly Burhaini Faizal, Jakarta – Participants of the 2017 World Press Freedom Day (WPFD) meeting have unanimously adopted the Jakarta Declaration, which calls for a greater role of the media in advancing peaceful and inclusive societies.
"We see the importance of Agenda 2030 on Sustainable Development Goals [SDGs], particularly Goal 16 on promoting peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development. Let's use the adopted Jakarta Declaration, preluded in the Finlandia Declaration," said Zabrina Holmstrom of the Finland National Commission to Unesco on Thursday.
"We need critical minds for critical times. Stand up for your rights. There can't be a compromise in freedom of expression," she said.
Adopted in last year's WPFD in Helsinki, Finland, Holmstrom said the Finlandia Declaration, which became a bridge to the Jakarta Declaration, had three building blocks, namely access to information, diversity of cultural expressions and freedom of expression. "These are building blocks of functioning democracies and diverse independent media," she said.
Around 1,300 participants attended the 2017 WPFD hosted by the Indonesian government, the Communications and Information Ministry, the Press Council and Unesco.
"In 2017 WPFD, we have focused on addressing SDGs, particularly achieving Goal 16 on promoting peaceful and inclusive societies, and how we can counter social media bubbles, where solutions to addressing both are reflected in our adopted Jakarta Declaration," said Communications and Information Minister Rudiantara.
"We are also aware of the need to bring back healthy public communication and to support quality journalism to save life and the need for a shift from the current information turbulence," he went on.