Table Mountain Declaration now on the web
The World Association of Newspapers has launched a new web site to support the Declaration of Table Mountain, which calls on African nations to abolish all laws that restrict freedom of expression.
The web site, at http://www.declarationoftablemountain.org, was launched to coincide with a call to 192 member states of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) to support the Declaration at the organisation's General Conference in Paris later this month.
The Declaration of Table Mountain, issued at the World Newspaper Congress and World Editors Forum in Cape Town, South Africa, in June, calls on African governments "as a matter of urgency" to abolish all laws that restrict press freedom, to release jailed journalists, abolish draconian press laws and recognise the importance of press freedom for economic, political and social development.
The Declaration, named for the prominent landmark overlooking Cape Town, was endorsed by the boards of the Paris-based WAN and the WEF, which represent 18,000 newspapers worldwide, and by major African and international press freedom organisations.
WAN, the global organisation of the world's press, has asked South Africa to introduce a resolution supporting the document at the UNESCO General Conference, which begins on 16 October.
Among other measures, the Declaration calls for the abolishment of "insult" and criminal defamation laws, which are often used to stifle critical reporting and punish independent media that act as watchdogs over public officials and institutions.
In addition to WAN and WEF, organisations that have endorsed the Declaration include: The African Editors Forum (TAEF); the Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA); the Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA); the Freedom of Expression Institute; Media Rights Agenda; Reporters Without Borders; the International Press Institute; Article 19; International PEN; the International Publishers Association (IPA); Freedom House; the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ); the Observatory for the Freedom of Press, Publishing and Creation in Tunisia (OLPEC); the Centre for Media Studies and Peace Building; and the Egyptian Organisation for Human Rights.
The World Association of Newspapers (http://www.wan-press.org), defends and promotes press freedom world-wide. Its membership includes 76 national newspaper associations, newspaper companies and individual newspaper executives in 102 countries, 12 news agencies and 10 regional and world-wide press groups.
The WEF is the organisation for editors within the World Association of Newspapers (http://www.worldeditorsforum.org).
