The European Union (EU) has reaffirmed its commitment to supporting the media in South Sudan.
Timo Olkkonen, the head of the EU delegation to South Sudan, expressed the bloc’s position in a speech during the commemoration of World Press Freedom Day.
Mr. Olkkonen said the EU remained optimistic despite persistent reports of challenges faced by journalists and media organizations.
“I am pleased to join you and the rest of the world in commemorating this year’s World Press Freedom Day in South Sudan,” he said. “On this day, we reaffirm the fundamental role of a free, independent and safe press in democratic societies. Unfortunately, there is much work to be done, as journalists worldwide continue to face growing threats to their safety, integrity and right to information.”
He added that the EU firmly believes a free press is democracy’s strongest shield and that journalists must be able to report without fear of censorship, intimidation or reprisals.
“The European Union will always defend and promote media and press freedom—not just on World Press Freedom Day, but every day,” he said.
The envoy welcomed recent efforts to foster regular dialogue among media stakeholders, which he said would help create an enabling environment for journalists to work with minimal interference.
“I would particularly like to acknowledge the work of the Union of Journalists, Journalists for Human Rights, the Association for Media Development in South Sudan, the Media Authority, the National Communication Authority, and donors such as UNESCO, Norwegian People’s Aid and others,” he said. “Their efforts are critical in building a competent, reliable, professional, accountable and responsible media industry in this country.”
Mr. Olkkonen noted that the EU is contributing through both direct and indirect support to the media community. He cited an example from last year, when the bloc facilitated the participation of two South Sudanese journalists in the Connecting Media Communities Conference in Kosovo. The event brought together 99 journalists from around the world for two days of intensive workshops and panel discussions on combating disinformation and fostering global connections among media professionals.
He pledged that the EU would continue to strengthen the capacity of South Sudanese journalists by supporting similar opportunities whenever possible.
Mr. Olkkonen also congratulated stakeholders for their role in improving South Sudan’s press freedom ranking, which rose to 109 from 136 in the latest Reporters Without Borders index.
“Let us work together to improve South Sudan’s ranking even further,” he said.