Ministry Statements & Speeches:
Thank you Mr President, distinguished Foreign Minister Linkevičius and I thank also the other foreign ministers who have taken part in today’s debate as well as Deputy Secretary General Eliasson for his briefing. I want to commend the thought-provoking briefings we’ve had from Mr Christophe Deloire and Mariane Pearl. I particularly commend Ms Pearl for her reflections on the changing nature of journalism and the need for reflection on the balance between reported and entertainment and of her analysis of the threats to those that take on the demanding challenge of reporting the news, a threat posed by terrorist organisations, by other non-state actors and sadly, by governments, members of this organisation.
It has been almost nine years since the Security Council adopted resolution 1738 on the protection of journalists in armed conflict.
The intervening years have been particularly dangerous and bloody ones as we have heard today. More than 60 journalists have been killed each year since the resolution was passed. Most of those fatalities have been conflict-related, but not all. And many more deaths go unreported.
Already this year, 25 journalists have been killed. Therefore New Zealand welcomes the opportunity of this debate to reflect on the protection of journalists in armed conflict and commends Lithuania for taking this initiative
Today I wish to focus on four protection challenges.
The first is the need to tackle impunity. In nine out of ten cases, the perpetrators of attacks against journalists are never prosecuted. This remains first and foremost a national responsibility. While this may pose particular challenges for fragile and conflict-affected states, there are tools available to assist, including through regional organisations. States need to be better at asking for help. Today’s resolution 2222 strengthens standards in this area.
New Zealand welcomes increased monitoring of the protection of journalists by the UN including in the Secretary-General’s Protection of Civilians thematic report, as well as in country-specific reports. These reports should reflect on the work of the Special Rapporteurs, Special Envoys and Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, which raise concerns about attacks against journalists in connection to their own mandates. This should provide more clarity, at the national level and across the UN system, to improve the implementation of resolution 1738 and now resolution 2222.
Third, we recognise the particular vulnerabilities faced by local journalists, who represent a majority of victims. Local journalists lack access to equipment and resources that will help to keep them safe. In this regard, we urge media organisations to take responsibility for all their staff, regardless of their national status. We also urge UN personnel in the field to remain alert to the protection challenges facing local journalists.
Finally, there is the transformative effect of technology and the rapidly evolving media landscape. Anyone with a pen and a note pad, a smart phone and Twitter account, can contribute to the discussion through the Internet and social media. This has led to the rise of ‘citizen journalists’ who are often the only source of information in areas controlled by terrorists and other non-state actors. The importance of these changes cannot be ignored.
Citizen journalists are often exposed and at risk. This has been grimly demonstrated in Syria, where credible reports indicate that at least 130 internet and citizen journalists have been killed since the start of the conflict.
Mr President
Journalists remain a vital part of our work here in the Council. We have been reminded graphically today of other incidents and persecution of journalists in Syria and elsewhere.
We value the close relationship with the media following the work of this Council both here and in the conflicts abroad. The story of what is happening on the ground and behind the scenes must be told. The people of Burundi, Syria, South Sudan, Ukraine, Yemen and elsewhere need a voice.