Guyana has joined the Media Freedom Coalition.
The British High Commission and the High Commission of Canada stated in a joint release yesterday that the two countries on Tuesday officially welcomed Guyana as a member of the Media Freedom Coalition.
Guyana is now the 49th country to join the Coalition which was formed in July 2019 and Canada and the United Kingdom are currently the Coalition’s co-chairs.
The Media Freedom Coalition is a partnership of countries whose objective is to defend media freedom where it is under threat. According to the release, the goal of the Coalition is to advocate for media freedom and the safety of journalists, and hold to account those who harm journalists for doing their job. The Media Freedom Coalition promises to speak out publicly through collective statements, including in international fora, and to pursue collective diplomatic approaches and lobbying.
Present at the signing ceremony to welcome Guyana were Minister within the Office of the Prime Minister with responsibility for Public Affairs, Kwame McCoy; British High Commissioner Jane Miller; Canadian High Commissioner, Mark K. Berman; and President of the Guyana Press Association, Nazima Raghubir.
In welcoming Guyana, Miller, underscored that press freedom was good for democracy, prosperity and development.
“A vibrant and free media is not only good for democracy, it is also essential for prosperity and development. Guyana recognises this and is now a member of the Media Freedom Coalition. Members of the Coalition believe in protecting the freedom of journalists,” Miller was quoted as saying.
And Berman in his statement reiterated Canada’s support for media freedom and congratulated the Government of Guyana on their decision to join the Coalition.
“Our Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said that the media is the cornerstone of any fair, strong, and vibrant society and Canada has been a long time and vocal supporter of media freedom both at home and abroad,” he stated. Berman also congratulated the Government of Guyana on its decision to be part of the Coalition and assured that Canada will continue to support the local media “wherever possible.”
McCoy in his remarks said that the Government of Guyana was pleased to join the Media Freedom Coalition and is supportive of its goals. He added that the Coalition’s goal of advocating for media freedom is “complementary to the policy and practice of the Government of Guyana.”
Raghubir said that the Association welcomed the government’s move to become one of the latest signatories to the Media Freedom Coalition. “We see this as a commitment to free press, citizens’ freedom of expression and the safety of media workers.”
Raghubir declared that the Guyana Press Association will hold the Government of Guyana accountable for the commitments they have made in clauses of the Coalition.
“We will hold the Government accountable to the clauses of the coalition to ensure that the work of the media is unhindered and the safety of media workers is paramount. We feel a free press is absolutely necessary for any democracy and aids in promoting transparency and accountability,” she asserted.
All members of the Media Freedom Coalition are asked to sign the ‘Global Pledge on Media Freedom’ and as signatories, each member has made the commitment to work together to improve media freedom and the safety of journalists both at home and abroad.
Other countries that are a part of the Media Freedom Coalition include the United States, France, Italy and Germany. Belize is the only other CARICOM nation that is currently a part of the Coalition. Membership is granted after a country indicates its interest to join, and when at least 2/3 of the Coalition’s members have no objections to the new country joining, the release added.
