4 May 2008
Maputo — Mozambican President Armando Guebuza on Saturday declared that his government remains committed "to protecting one of the fundamental rights of the human person, which is freedom of expression and of the press".
He was speaking on World Press Freedom Day, at which the Director-General of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), Koichiro Matsuura, delivered the 2008 UNESCO World Freedom Prize to campaigning Mexican journalist, Lidia Cacho Ribeiro.
"In celebrating this day, we praise the professionalism and dedication of those who, at the cost of much sacrifice, succeed in collecting and divulging information for their audiences, thus helping citizens make informed choices in their daily lives".
He paid particular tribute "to those who have tragically lost their lives, as they used their pens, their cameras, their tape recorders or their microphones, in favour of a better informed society. We reaffirm on this day that their sacrifice should always be a source of inspiration for other professionals throughout the world".
Guebuza believed that press freedom, access to information and development were closely intertwined, and that media freedom "provides a favourable environment for promoting self-esteem, for deepening thee sense of citizenship and ownership, and for consolidating multi-party, participatory and inclusive democracy".
The President regarded media professionals as partners of the government in the fight against poverty. "They have not restricted themselves to report on the changes occurring throughout the Mozambican nation", he said. "They act as agents of these changes, by inculcating their fellow-countrymen with a sense of self-esteem, of confidence in their capacities, and in promoting such sublime values as national unity, peace, democracy and inclusion"
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