WPFD Celebration in Cairo

Description

Journalists, writers and artists called for strengthening freedom of expression at the WPFD celebration in Cairo.

A conference to commemorate WPFD, organized in Cairo 7 May 2013, focused on issues of censorship and journalists’ and writers safety, as well as legal hurdles for freedom of expression in post-revolutionary Egypt. It was organized by the UNESCO Cairo Office, with the support of the Swedish Embassy in Cairo, the Egyptian Writers Union, the Egyptian Journalists Syndicate and the Tamasi Association, aimed to promote free arts.

Representatives of professional groups that have a stake in strengthening freedom of expression – journalists, academics, writers, performing artists, TV presenters, and civil society members – gathered at the Egyptian Writers’ Union headquarters, based in the Citadel, the historic site of Cairo old town, to discuss obstacles for freedom of speech and expression in contemporary Egypt.

The event featured four panels of experts and practitioners from the Egyptian media community, academia and creative arts sector, as well as international media experts and writers from Europe, who shared their experience regarding the transition of the early 1990s in East and Central Europe and the Balkans. A series of sessions on different aspects of freedom of expression were held, leading to the formulation of conference statement adopted by the participants. The statement called for Egyptian society and authorities to work for:

• Establishment of a legal environment & structres that protect and enable freedom of expression for all, including journalists, writers, artists and others in traditional and non traditional media & creative industries.
• Upholding international treaties, standards and declarations relating to freedom of belief, speech and expression and including these in national laws.
• Bringing all and any infringement of the right to free expression to the rule of law.
• Put an end to state censorship in favour of encouraging self regulation by professional and practioners' bodies.
• Raise public and political awareness of the centrality of freedom of expression to economic and social development.

The conference panels’ moderators were:
- Mohamed Salmawy, Chairman of Egyptian Writers Union
- Khawla Mattar, director of UNIC Egypt
- Ayman al Sayad, editor in Chief of “Weghat Nazar” magazine and former advisor to the President of Egypt
- Mona Ibrahim, professor at Cairo University.

Participants and presenters at the workshop included:
- Marius Lukosiunas, Advisor for Communication and Information UNESCO Cairo - Sahar Elmougy, author and lecturer at Cairo University
- Amir Ramsis, Egyptian film director
- Bent Norby Bonde, expert at “Media Progress. African Communication”
- Abeer Saady, vice chair of the Egyptian Journalist’s Syndicate
- Nihal Saad Zagloul, co-founder of the “Imprint” movement against sexual harassment
- Ahmed Elhawary, journalist at Al Masr Al Youm
- Abdel Rahman Youssef, poet and TV presenter
- Ragai Elmergani, journalist and civil society activist
- Emad Mubarak, head of the Association of Freedom of Expression (AFTE)
- Fatma Naout, poet and columnist at “Al Watan”
- Rasha Abdullah, professor of Journalism and Mass Communication at AUC
- Mohamad Abla , Egyptian painter and activist
- Peter Curman, former chairman of the Swedish Writers Union
- Sameh Egyptson, head of Scandinavia- Egypt Culture centre.

For more information, please contact:

UNESCO Cairo Office:

Ms. Ieva Zakareviciute,
Junior Consultant
i.zakareviciute@unesco.org

Marius Lukosiunas
Advisor, Communications and Information
m.lukosiunas@unesco.org