World Press Freedom Day was proclaimed by the UN General Assembly in December 1993, following the recommendation of UNESCO’s General Conference. Since then, May 3 is celebrated worldwide as World Press Freedom Day.

It is an opportunity to: celebrate the fundamental principles of press freedom; assess the state of press freedom throughout the world; defend the media from attacks on their independence; and pay tribute to journalists who have lost their lives in the line of duty.

In 2016, World Press Freedom Day coincides with a few important milestones:

The 250th anniversary of the world’s first freedom of information law, covering both modern-day Sweden and Finland
The 25th anniversary of the adoption of the Wind-hoek Declaration of press freedom principles
This year’s WPFD focuses on three different aspects of press freedom:
Freedom of information as a fundamental freedom and as a human right
Protecting press freedom from censorship and surveillance overreach AND
Ensuring safety for journalism online and offline
UNESCO and the Government of Finland will co-host the World Press Freedom Day’s main event and the UNESCO/Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize Ceremony in 2016 which will take place in Hel-sinki, Finland, from 2-4 May 2016.