Santiago, The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has announced that World Press Freedom Day 2024, observed on May 3, will spotlight the escalating dangers environmental journalists face globally. An international conference themed “A Press for the Planet: Journalism in the Face of the Environmental Crisis” will be held in Santiago, Chile, from May 2 to 4, featuring discussions on climate-related disinformation and attacks on environmental journalists.

According to United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, the conference at the Gabriela Mistral Centre in Santiago will gather government officials, experts, NGOs, and media professionals. Notable attendees include Gabriel Boric, President of Chile; Audrey Azoulay, Director-General of UNESCO; and Nobel-Prize-winning journalist Maria Ressa, among others. The event aims to foster strategies for protecting journalists and combating the spread of false information related to climate change.

UNESCO will also use this occasion to bestow the UNESCO/Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize on journalists who have imperiled their lives for public information dissemination. The conference aspires to establish media alliances to spearhead investigations into the entities behind climate disinformation, which obstructs climate action efforts.