Skopje, 3 May 2026 (MIA) - "Shaping a Future at Peace" is the theme of the World Press Freedom Day 2026 global conference, set to take place in Lusaka, Zambia, on Monday and Tuesday. 

World Press Freedom Day was proclaimed by the UN General Assembly in 1993 following a recommendation of UNESCO's General Conference in 1991. Every year, May 3 is a date which celebrates the fundamental principles of press freedom, to evaluate press freedom around the world, to defend the media from attacks on their independence and to pay tribute to journalists who have lost their lives in the exercise of their profession.

May 3, the date of adoption of the Windhoek Declaration for the Development of a Free, Independent and Pluralistic Press by African newspaper journalists in 1991, has subsequently been declared as World Press Freedom Day.

According to UNESCO on its website, by fostering access to reliable information, accountability, dialogue, and trust, press freedom and independent journalism are key to peace, economic recovery, sustainable development, and human rights. 

The UNESCO World Trends Report in Freedom of Expression and Media Development (2022-2025) notes that freedom  of  expression  around  the  world  has  declined  by 10% since 2012, a regression comparable in scale to the most unstable periods of the 20th century (First World War, Second World War, Cold War).

"Information manipulation and interference by malicious actors including using AI, weakens trust, shared understanding, and national security. In addition, there is growing economic fragility of independent media. These deteriorating conditions have led to an estimated 63% increase in self-censorship since 2012, driven by fear of reprisals, online harassment, judicial intimidation, and economic pressure. World Press Freedom Day (WPFD) 2026 offers a critical moment to reaffirm freedom of expression, aligning journalism, technology (including AI), and human rights actors around practical ways to strengthen information ecosystems for the future," said UNESCO.  

EU: Independent media a cornerstone of any democratic society, journalists must be protected at all times

On the occasion of World Press Freedom Day, observed annually on May 3, the European Union said independent media is a cornerstone of any democratic society and journalists must be protected at all times.  

In a statement by the High Representative on behalf of the European Union, the EU highlights that democracy cannot exist without a free press, adding that access to media, along with freedom of expression are not ‘nice to haves’, but fundamental human rights. 

The statement notes that across the world, the killing, injuring, and threatening, as well as the arbitrary detention, forcing into exile and silencing of journalists, has become a shocking reality. Women journalists in particular are disproportionately targeted by gender-based violence, including online harassment and abuse.

According to the EU, 2025 was the deadliest year for journalists worldwide ever recorded, and the killing of journalists and media professionals - as seen in Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine and in the current conflicts in the Middle East, recently in Gaza and in Lebanon as well as in Africa - should be fully investigated and those responsible must be held accountable. 

The statement also notes that the right to information is under growing threat, with intimidation and Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation (SLAPPs) fostering a behaviour of self-censorship amongst journalists. The EU decries intimidation and repression against journalists taken by authoritarian regimes across the world, including violence and repression in Iran. 

"Governments must set a solid legal framework to protect their journalists from abusive court proceedings. Cutting networks of foreign correspondents today only leaves a greater void for dangerous unverified information to circulate. In parallel, outlets posing as media, are spreading fake news and echoing those in power instead of holding them accountable. The consequence is that citizens are increasingly inundated with propaganda and disinformation, disguised as news," reads the statement. 

The European Union reaffirms its resolute commitment to defend free, pluralistic, independent and qualitative journalism through partnership with organisations such as the European Endowment for Democracy, the UN, and UNESCO, as well as regional bodies such as the Council of Europe and the OSCE.   

The EU points out that it will continue to defend press freedom, both at home and around the world. 

Marking World Press Freedom Day, Macedonian journalists and media workers held their fourth annual blood donation drive on April 29 

Marking World Press Freedom Day - May 3 in cooperation with the Red Cross, the Independent Trade Union of Journalists and Media Workers (SSNM) and the Association of Journalists of Macedonia (AJM) said that solidarity is the bedrock of journalism as a profession based on the protection of the public interest.

Photo: MIA archive