Panel discussion in Vienna focused on implementation of OSCE Ministerial Council Decision on the Safety of Journalists

The International Press Institute (IPI) last week joined a panel discussion organized by the Group of Friends on Safety of Journalists at the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) to examine the implementation of the OSCE Ministerial Council Decision on the Safety of Journalists.

Speaking at the panel discussion, IPI Executive Director Barbara Trionfi underscored the importance of the Decision.

"Across the OSCE region, journalists are attacked on a daily basis, challenging their ability to disseminate independent news", she said. "I cannot overstate the importance of raising awareness about and identifying solutions to this serious problem, and commend the work of the informal OSCE Group of Friends on Safety of Journalists towards this."

The OSCE Group of Friends on Safety of Journalists is an informal group of representatives of OSCE member states. Created in 2018, the group aims to keep the topic of safety of journalists, broadly understood, high on the OSCE agenda. IPI maintains a close working relationship with the group. Co-chaired by France, Lithuania and Sweden, the group consists of 16 OSCE delegations: Austria, Canada, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Latvia, Lithuania, Montenegro, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, the United Kingdom and the United States of America.