The members of the International Press Institute, meeting at their 61st annual General Assembly during the IPI World Congress on June 25 in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, adopted by unanimous vote a resolution calling on the United Nations and other international and regional organisations to develop and implement a more effective system to address impunity in violent attacks and murders of journalists around the globe.

The failure of state institutions to prosecute the perpetrators of crimes against journalist has proven to promote violence aimed at silencing journalists. UN bodies, programmes and agencies dedicated to the protection of human rights carry a duty to ensure that member states fulfill their obligations in the field of human rights. Ensuring journalists’ right to report freely and without fear of retaliation as well as their right to justice when they are attacked is a duty that member states must carry out.

In order to underline the need for member states to reinforce their independent investigation of crimes against journalists and the prosecution of their perpetrators, IPI members called on the UN Human Rights Commission to monitor member states’ performance on impunity when journalist are attacked.

Furthermore, in order to promote swifter progress in the prosecution of those responsible for crimes against journalists, IPI members called on UN bodies, programmes and agencies dedicated to the protection of human rights to set up a task force of investigators to work with member states with the aim of ending impunity.

Finally, IPI members condemned efforts by some UN members states to prevent the implementation of the UN Plan of Action on the Safety of Journalists and the Issue of Impunity. That plan recently adopted is aimed at coordinating efforts by various UN agencies, funds and programmes in the field of journalists’ safety and to develop a single, strategic and harmonized approach that would have greater impact.