Dear Friends,

Thirty years ago, in 1993, the United Nations General Assembly proclaimed 3 May as World Press Freedom Day. According to the official history, it was a declaration on 3 May 1991 by 60 African journalists gathered in Windhoek, Namibia that first called for the creation of a World Press Freedom Day.

But did you know that, in reality, it was Reporters Without Borders (RSF) that organised the first international press freedom day? Let’s look at the little-known history of this important celebration.

In 1991, RSF was still a small NGO and a lot was happening at the international level. To make its voice heard, it had to create an event. Proclaiming a “day” seemed to be the only way to draw attention to the state of press freedom in the world, even if only for 24 hours. So, RSF proclaimed 20 April 1991 as the first International Press Freedom Day. Most of the French media actively supported the event, which RSF used to publish its first annual Press Freedom Report.

A few months later, UNESCO proposed creating an International Press Freedom Day, a proposal that was finally taken up two years later by the UN General Assembly, which renamed it World Press Freedom Day. 

On 3 May this year, RSF will unveil its latest World Press Freedom Index, which is regarded as an authoritative annual evaluation of the environment for journalism in 180 countries and territories.

Your support is essential if we are to be able to continue informing everyone about the state of journalism and defending its representatives throughout the world.