World Press Freedom Day 2022 Observance concludes

The Prime Minister’s Office Public Affairs Department organized National Conference and Symposium concluded on Wednesday evening with the final panel assembled among social media actors, interrogating the ‘rise of the citizen reporter and trends for 2022 and beyond’. Previous panels examined the case for ‘partnerships in communication for development’ and issues surrounding ethics, and legal frameworks.

It was noted that partner stakeholders, local and regional delegates and resource experts participating in the two-day event, have roundly hailed the quality of engagement facilitated through its consultative format.

Importantly, was the ground-breaking unveiling and commencement of the virtual Guyana Media and Communication Academy, developed in partnership with the world’s largest online learning platform, COURSERA. It was disclosed that it is the first of its kind Academy for the Caribbean region, whuke it promises to kick start the process for partnerships in communication for development. This is with the government taking a fresh lead in the areas of upskilling and knowledge advancement for the Guyanese media fraternity, through the Academy’s world-class programmes with participating universities.

It was noted that the conference and symposium which saw key-note participation from the Home Affairs and Information Minister of Barbados, Wilfred Abrahams, as well as the Press Secretary in the Office of the President of Suriname, Alven Roosveld received support from the Office of the Resident Coordinator of the United Nations in Guyana. Further, several civil society and corporate bodies, saw attendance of over four hundred media and communication operatives drawn from across the country, along with groups of CAPE Communication students from leading secondary and high schools.

The Public Affairs department said that for the past two years, the Government has taken steady, decisive measures to continue building its legacy of respect for the Press and the universal freedom to which it is entitled. This, they said is with marked changes in access for the press over what was obtained under the previous government, including frequent engagements and the reinstitution of the constitutional office of Commissioner of information. It noted that the 2022 Global press freedom index saw Guyana’s ranking improved by a significant 17 points.

Therefore, this year’s inaugural conference served to reinforce the unwavering positions of the current administration in support of free environment for the Guyanese press. This was evident as the President declaring in strong terms, that his administration could be judged on its record. He said that this is evident even as he committed to never supporting nor embracing any surveillance or other clandestine measure against the press that could undermine its freedoms.

The Public Affairs Department assured that they will be moving to consolidate the recommendations of the symposium into actionable outcomes in specific areas discussed, through furtherance of the engagement of the key actors across the local spectrum. They stressed that chief among the issues emerging as most urgent, is the need for streamlining of social media news and current affairs outlets within a workable framework in the Fourth Estate.