Zimbabwe hailed for media freedoms

THE Second Republic has been commended for championing media freedom and ensuring safety of journalists despite criticism from the country’s detractors.

After enactment of the Constitution which guarantees media freedom and safety of journalists in 2013, Government repealed the Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act which was replaced with the Zimbabwe Media Act, which, together with the Broadcasting Services Act have opened the media space for both journalists and media houses, guaranteeing freedom and access to information.

Speaking on the sidelines of the United Nations Regional Workshop to Upscale the Un-Wide Understanding of the Rights to Freedom of Expression, Access to Information and Safety of Journalists in sub-Saharan Africa in Victoria Falls recently, Unesco Regional Adviser for Communication and Information, Southern Africa Mr Al Amin Yusuph commended Government’s media reforms.

Unesco hosted the workshop which was attended by UN country resident coordinators from the region, government officials, civil society and various other media stakeholders last Thursday and Friday.

Mr Yusuph said Zimbabwe is among the countries that had implemented the UN Plan of Action.

“I have been here in the last four years. There has been so much progress in that area and we would like to commend the Government of Zimbabwe that despite several pointing fingers, the Government has been addressing many of the issues.

“I have seen for myself how the Ministry has an open door policy, listening and providing solutions. As much as data from various international monitoring and mechanisms show that Zimbabwe is not faring well, I can say there is a deliberate effort to address these issues,” he said.

He said tangible evidence on how Government attaches much importance to the safety of journalists and freedom of the media was shown during the Covid-19 lockdown when journalists were classified as essential services and allowed to move around to execute their duties.

Journalists in Zimbabwe were also among the first citizens to be vaccinated when the country rolled out national vaccination exercise in 2021.

Government has also licensed 14 community radio stations and six commercial television stations, indicating its commitment to opening the airwaves.

The UN Plan of Action is an agreement by member states which came up in 2012 as a result of the realisation of the increasing challenges related to safety of journalists and media practitioners.

It is a comprehensive inclusive multi stakeholder blueprint for promoting safety of journalists and is hinged on three pillars-prevention, protection and prosecution, and also includes advocacy driven through the International Day to End Impunity Against violence on journalists and International Press Freedom Day.

Mr Yusuph said the increasing cases of violations of media rights led Unesco to come up with the action which the UN formally adopted in 2012.

Under the plan various key stakeholders such as judiciary and security sectors are trained on issues around media and safety of journalists.

It is through the action plan that the Windhoek Declaration has been amended to Windhoek 30+ Declaration to accommodate emerging issues such as technology, digital platforms and cyber security.

There are 14 UN agencies which are involved in the Action Plan which a majority of member states have embraced.

Mr Yusuph said there are various monitoring aspects especially on Sustainable Development Goal Number 16:10:10 on safety of journalists and state of press freedom report for Southern Africa.

The UN Action Plan provides a mechanism where member states report violations on journalists who get injured or die in line of duty.

The workshop was part of efforts to deliberate on and take stock of the state of media freedom and is important in terms of implementation of the UN Plan of Action.

Mr Yusuph said by targeting resident coordinators from Sub Saharan Africa who are involved in designing programmes at country level, it means that safety of journalists will be mainstreamed and budgeted for.

Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services Minister Monica Mutsvangwa reiterated Government’s commitment to the safety of journalists and freedom of the press.

Unesco regional director for Southern Africa and representative to Sadc, Professor Lidia Arthur Brito said media play a key role in peace building in the world. — -@ncubeleon