If I could decide alone I would urge you today to move a huge step forward and endorse the draft convention for the protection of journalists in zones of conflict and other dangerous situations which was presented on 7 December 2007 and sent out to UN member states by mail.
But this is a process where member states have to reflect liaise with their governments and probably take the step by step approach.
However, I do urge today member states who responded positively to the draft and who have no reservations on it to endorse it as soon as possible so we can have a meaningful start in 2009.
Given the realities of an all inclusive convention process build up I would understand that our process could take some months ahead, but in our case here in Geneva we are blessed to have the Human Rights Council and therefore the process can start inside or outside the Council or in parallel paths.
For this reason it is important today and before the end of the meeting to come out with volunteers who would form a working group to reach concrete goals and have regular meetings.
The first goal is to launch the process within the council by establishing an expert group to craft binding guidelines for member states to implement in their relations with the media work and journalists.
Here the role of the Special Rapporteur on the Freedom of Opinion and Expression Mr. La Rue is of importance.
This needs a meeting parallel to the Council to adopt the guidelines.
There is also need for visibility for this global problem within the Council, in 2008 on average some 8 journalists were killed per month.
This visibility requires a special session/event which could be launched by UN member states in the working group; we only need 17 signatures to hold the Special Session.
Regular monthly meetings of the working group would be welcome to boost the steps forward in the right direction.
2009 must not pass without issuing a concrete resolution from the Human Rights Council first which shall adopt the guidelines and move one step the Human Rights Community closer to the Convention, or additional protocol, or a specialized convention.
The important issue is to reach to that point where there are legally binding clauses that shall pronounce the inadmissibility of crossing the Red line of abuse of journalists' human rights including the right to life and all other rights that consequently are derived from the physical elimination of a journalist and the impact of this crime on his or her family.
The PEC has been struggling for the past four years to make this day happen, it was joined by the ICPJ in September 2007 whose sole reason for coming into existence is rallying UN member states and Media associations and the general public around a solid defense for journalists' rights in the form of a Convention.
For those who have not followed closely our work, the PEC and the ICPJ reinforce each other's activities.
Both NGOs have reached out to you, one since June 2004, and the other since September 2007; it is now the moment for you to join hands with them for a better world for journalists.
We meet today when a new dawn of history has started with the election of Barack Obama, our hope is that Obama will make a better world including that of journalists.
Those concrete results should have materialized this year, the year of the 10th anniversary of the Human Rights Declaration, but it's always better to mark the second decade of the Declaration with a historic achievement, and in this respect you will be its makers.
Thank you
Hedayat Abdel Nabi is the President of Press Emblem Campaign (PEC)
International Covenant for the Protection of Journalists (ICPJ) Coordinator
You can contact Hedayat Abdel Nabi at:
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Mobile: 00794143515145
http://www.pressemblem.ch (administered by the PEC Secretary-General)
http://www.mediacovenant.org (administered by the Campaign President)
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