The Safety of Journalists and the Issue of Impunity

A/RES/69/185View PDF

Who adopted this document and its mandates?

A Resolution of the General Assembly, under agenda item 68b Human rights questions, including alternative approaches for improving the effective enjoyment of human rights and fundamental freedoms, published in 2015.

What other versions does this mandate have?

8 versions · 2014–2025

This is an older version — the most recent is A/RES/80/217

Year	Symbol	Title	Word length	Text similarity
2025	A/RES/80/217	The safety of journalists and the issue of impunity	4,907	75%Compare
2023	A/RES/78/215	The safety of journalists and the issue of impunity	4,279	84%Compare
2022	A/RES/76/173	The safety of journalists and the issue of impunity	3,717	83%Compare
2020	A/RES/74/157	The safety of journalists and the issue of impunity	3,312	68%Compare
2018	A/RES/72/175	The safety of journalists and the issue of impunity	2,786	65%Compare

Which reports were submitted under this mandate?

7 reports · 2014–2025

Year	Symbol	Title	Mandate resolution
2025	A/80/345	Safety of journalists and the issue of impunity report of the Secretary-General	A/RES/78/215
2023	A/78/270	Safety of journalists and the issue of impunity report of the Secretary-General	A/RES/76/173
2021	A/76/285	Safety of journalists and the issue of impunity report of the Secretary-General	A/RES/74/157
2019	A/74/314	The safety of journalists and the issue of impunity report of the Secretary-General	A/RES/72/175
2017	A/72/290	The safety of journalists and the issue of impunity report of the Secretary-General	A/RES/70/162

What subjects does this mandate have?

7 subjects

Freedom of Expression Freedom of Information Freedom of the Press Human Rights in Armed Conflicts Impunity International Days Journalists

What’s in this document?

11 operative paragraphs

Condemns unequivocally all attacks and violence against journalists and media workers, such as torture, extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances, arbitrary arrest and arbitrary detention, as well as intimidation and harassment in both conflict and non-conflict situations;

Strongly condemns the prevailing impunity for attacks and violence against journalists, and expresses grave concern that the vast majority of these crimes go unpunished, which in turn contributes to the recurrence of these crimes;

Urges the immediate release of journalists and media workers who have been taken as hostages or who have become victims of enforced disappearances;

Encourages States to take the opportunity of the proclamation of 2 November as the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists to raise awareness regarding the issue of the safety of journalists and to launch concrete initiatives in this regard;

Requests the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, in consultation with relevant entities of the United Nations system, and mindful of the provisions of the annex to Economic and Social Council resolution 1980/67 of 25 July 1980, to continue facilitating the implementation of the International Day in collaboration with Governments and relevant stakeholders;

Urges Member States to do their utmost to prevent violence, threats and attacks against journalists and media workers, to ensure accountability through the conduct of impartial, speedy, thorough, independent and effective investigations into all alleged violence, threats and attacks against journalists and media workers falling within their jurisdiction, to bring perpetrators, including those who command, conspire to commit, aid and abet or cover up such crimes to justice, and to ensure that victims and their families have access to appropriate remedies;

Calls upon States to create and maintain, in law and in practice, a safe and enabling environment for journalists to perform their work independently and without undue interference, including by means of: (a) legislative measures; (b) awareness-raising in the judiciary and among law enforcement officers and military personnel, as well as among journalists and in civil society, regarding international human rights and humanitarian law obligations and commitments relating to the safety of journalists; (c) the monitoring and reporting of attacks against journalists; (d) publicly and systematically condemning violence and attacks; and (e) dedicating the resources necessary to investigate and prosecute such attacks and to develop and implement strategies for combating impunity for attacks and violence against journalists, including by using, where appropriate, good practices such as those identified in Human Rights Council resolution 27/5 of 25 September 2014;Error: Reference source not found

Stresses the need to ensure better cooperation and coordination at the international level, including through technical assistance and capacity-building, with regard to ensuring the safety of journalists, including with regional organizations;

Calls upon States to cooperate with relevant United Nations entities, in particular the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, as well as international and regional human rights mechanisms, and to share information on a voluntary basis on the status of investigations into attacks and violence against journalists;

Invites the relevant agencies, organizations, funds and programmes of the United Nations system to actively exchange information, including through already identified focal points, about the implementation of the United Nations Plan of Action on the Safety of Journalists and the Issue of Impunity, in cooperation with Member States and under the overall coordination of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization;

Requests the Secretary-General to report to the General Assembly at its seventieth session and to the Human Rights Council at its thirtieth session on the implementation of the present resolution.

Who adopted this document and its mandates?

What other versions does this mandate have?

Which reports were submitted under this mandate?

What subjects does this mandate have?

What’s in this document?

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