The Organization of the Islamic Cooperation (OIC) joins the international community to mark the significant event of World Press Freedom Day, commemorated annually on May 3rd. OIC Secretary General Dr. Yousef A. Al-Othaimeen pays tribute to the sacrifices of journalists and media professionals who risked or lost their lives while performing their professional duties at times of wars or unrests.
This year’s theme: "Critical Minds for Critical Times: Media’s role in advancing peaceful, just and inclusive societies" highlights the important role of the media in ensuring peaceful co-existence among different communities of our world.
OIC takes this opportunity to emphasize on the need for protecting the safety and freedom of journalists while performing their professional duties. It also calls on journalists and media professionals to display a high sense of responsibility when performing their duties and to take into consideration societal harmony and well-being.
It is worth mentioning that OIC is in the process of instituting an International Media Prize to honor excellent media outlets and professionals who have made outstanding contributions to promoting dialogue, tolerance and harmony among cultures.
The prize seeks to encourage media professionals to eliminate hate speech, intolerance, prejudice, racial discrimination and Islamophobia, and to support intercultural dialogue and social inclusion in their reports and programs.
Worth noting is that the 11th Session of the Islamic Conference of Information Ministers was held in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia in December 2016 under the theme "The New Media in Countering Terrorism and Islamophobia". The OIC restates its call on the media to use their platforms to fight terrorist ideology by depicting the real image of Islam, which calls for tolerance, moderation and peaceful coexistence among the peoples of the world.
The UN General Assembly proclaimed the international Press Freedom Day in 1993.

Source: BNA