The opening ceremony of the 2016 International Press Institute (IPI) World Congress in Doha, Qatar was a sight to behold.

The ceremony kicked off what will be a three-day conference hosted in partnership with Al Jazeera. Titled “Journalism at Risk”, the programme will see journalists from all over the world taking part in seminars, panels and workshops. This year’s theme focuses on safety and professionalism in a dangerous world.

“Journalists are people’s eyes on the news,” said Master of Ceremonies Khadija Bengana, principal presenter for the Al Jazeera Media Network.

Following a brief introduction, Bengana introduced the first speaker, Al Jazeera Media Network Acting Director General Mostefa Souag.

“Every day, journalists deal with dangers that threaten them, their families and their acquaintances,” Souag said, speaking in Arabic. Those dangers were many, he noted, ranging from violence and injury, to imprisonment and even death.

“We have lost dear colleagues who paid with their lives for the truth and the dignity of the profession,” Souag commented, adding that it was important to fight for justice for those fallen journalists.

“Despite the dangers, we need to continue to pursue the truth,” he emphasised.

IPI Executive Board Chair John Yearwood, who is the world editor for the Miami Herald and head of IPI’s North American Committee, followed Souag and spoke of IPI’s numerous achievements in recent years. Yearwood noted that they included successfully advocating for the release of imprisoned journalist around the world – including Syria’s Mazen Darwish and Al Jazeera staff held in Egypt – and for progress in the fight to decriminalise defamation, particularly in the Caribbean.

He also cited IPI’s efforts in the fight against digital attacks on journalists and IPI’s work in support of safety of freelance journalists. In the latter, IPI played a key role initiating a campaign that has garnered support from more than 80 media companies worldwide.

Yearwood similarly noted IPI’s actions in recent years, in partnership with Al Jazeera and several other organisations, to create the “International Declaration and Best Practices on the Promotion of Journalists Safety”, which is intended to help protect journalists’ rights and will be the subject of a panel at the World Congress on March 20.

Closing out the ceremony, IPI Executive Director Barbara Trionfi told attendees that when IPI first started planning its World Congress in Doha two years ago, it had a vision for the conference.

“We insisted first of all that the conference should be open to any journalist who wanted to attend,” she said. “We wanted our speakers to be provocative and force the audience to open their minds to new ideas.”

Trionfi discussed IPI’s aim of bringing about increased press freedom and freedom of expression through its work. She also congratulated Qatar for having pardoned Qatari poet Mohammed Al-Ajami, who had been serving a 15-year sentence imposed after he was detained in 2011 on charges that he insulted the country’s emir in one of his poems.

“In congratulating Qatar on this very important decision, I want to say how happy I am to be here at this moment,” Trionfi said.