Shutting down an international civil society forum through its invocation of prior restraint on content of the programme and citing the need for alignment with “national values, policy priorities, and broader public-interest considerations” represents a serious and unacceptable violation of universal human rights standards including freedom of assembly, press freedom, independent journalism, and open civic space which are protected by Articles 19 and 21 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.

That pressure from China influenced Zambia’s decision further demonstrates the scale and severity of threats facing the civic space environment from foreign interference. No government should have the power to compromise such convenings.

Although this is an extremely serious attack on human rights, it is not isolated. These developments take place in an already challenging context of shrinking liberties and funding for journalism, digital rights, and free expression communities worldwide.

Effectively cancelling RightsCon and thereby seriously disrupting UNESCO’s World Press Freedom Day conference on 4 May weakens an already strained ecosystem and contributes to fragmentation, isolation, and, ultimately, a chilling effect on collective action.

Multistakeholderism must be protected in practice, not just proclaimed in principle 

Members of international platforms such as the Media Freedom Coalition and Freedom Online Coalition must continue to use their convening power to ensure the participation of civil society in global forums and take concrete action against restrictions on civic space and freedom of expression.

For future regional and international fora, the demands of journalism, digital rights, and free expression communities for the physical, digital, and legal conditions for safe and open convening must be met by the UN, other inter-governmental organisations and States.

Restoring the legacy of the Windhoek Declaration

Zambia’s decision is symbolically significant because of its proximity to Namibia, where in 1991 the signing of the Windhoek declaration led directly to the UN declaring 3 May as World Press Freedom Day two years later.

Promoting independent, pluralistic, and free media, it urges governments to protect journalists and avoid media control. Its renewal in 2021 reaffirmed a regional and international commitment to media freedom, independence, and safety.

That legacy underscores what is threatened today. These challenges remind us of the need for media to remain agile and innovative, and to uphold functional independence from any one specific actor.

Safeguarding the future of World Press Freedom Day and of the broader ecosystems it engenders requires renewed collective commitment to solidarity, accountability, and the protection of civic space.

We stand with our colleagues in Zambia and across Southern Africa 

We express our solidarity with the almost 3,000 journalists, digital rights defenders, press freedom and media support and civil society actors in Zambia, across Africa, and globally who have been directly affected by the last-minute cancellation of RightsCon 2026 and the subsequent drastic downscaling of UNESCO’s World Press Freedom Day conference in Lusaka on 4 May.

We also express our strong support and solidarity with AccessNow, the organisers of RightsCon, as well as all their partners who had planned side events to further their vital work.

Above all, we stand with our colleagues in Zambia and across Southern Africa who continue to work indefatigably under increasingly constrained conditions.

Signatories

1. 7amleh – The Arab Center for the Advancement of Social Media
2. Accountability Lab
3. ACOS Alliance
4. African Women in Media
5. Alhudood
6. Alliance of Independent Journalists (AJI) Indonesia
7. Asosiasi Media Siber Indonesia (AMSI)
8. Arab Reporters for Investigative Journalism (ARIJ)
9. ARTICLE 19
10. Association for Freedom of Thought and Expression (AFTE).
11. Association for International Broadcasting (AIB)
12. Balkan Investigative Reporting Network (BIRN)
13. Cambodian Center for Human Rights (CCHR)
14. Cartoonists Rights
15. Catholic Media Council (CAMECO) e.V
16. Centre for Journalism and Democracy
17. Centre for Independent Journalism (CIJ) Malaysia
18. Centre for Law and Democracy
19. Centre for Media and Society (CEMESO)
20. Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility (CMFR)
21. Center for Sustainable Media (CSM)
22. Centro de Archivos y Acceso a la Información (Cainfo)C
23. critical infrastructure lab – University of Amsterdam
24. Daily Humanity Foundation
25. Daily Nawa-I-Ahmedpur Sharqia Pakistan
26. DW Akademie
27. Eastern Africa Editors Society (EAES)
28. Espacio Público
29. Ethical Journalism Network
30. European Federation of Journalists (EFJ)
31. Excellence Foundation for South Sudan
32. Factjaja
33. Febrayer Network
34. FlokiNET ehf
35. Fojo Media Institute
36. Fondation Hirondelle  – Media for peace and human dignity
37. Fundación para la Libertad de Prensa (FLIP, Colombia)
38. Freedom Forum, Nepal
39. Freedom of Expression (FXI)
40. Gambia Press Union (GPU)
41. Gisa Group | 3ayin
42. Global Forum for Media Development (GFMD)
43. Global Investigative Journalism Network (GIJN)
44. Global Voices
45. Global Youth & News Media
46. GoodBot Society
47. Gulf Centre for Human Rights (GCHR)
48. IDEM e.V.
49. Hungarian Civil Liberties Union
50. I’lam – Arab Center for Media Freedom Development and Research
51. IFEX
52. IFoX/Initiative for Freedom of Expression-Turkey
53. Institut Panos-Haiti
54. Institute for Regional Media and Information (IRMI)
55. International Association of Women in Radio and Television -(IAWRT-Kenya)
56. International Federation of Journalists (IFJ)
57. International Federation for Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA)
58. International Press Centre (IPC)
59. International Service for Human Rights (ISHR)
60. Internews Europe
61. Institute of Mass Information (IMI)
62. International Media Support
63. Instituto Prensa y Sociedad – IPYS, Perú
64. JASS – Just Associates
65. Journalismfund Europe
66. JUMMAR
67. Lviv Media Forum
68. Media Action Nepal
69. Media Development Center (Tunisia)
70. Media Diversity Institute
71. Media Diversity Institute Global
72. Media Leadership Think Tank, GIBS
73. Media Policy Institute (MPI) Kyrgyzstan
74. Media Rights Agenda (MRA)
75. Media Self Regulation Council of Zambia
76. Media Voice
77. Momentum – Journalism and Tech Task Force
78. Moxii Africa
79. Muwatin Media Network
80. National Union of Journalists of Ukraine
81. NMT Media Foundation
82. Palestinian Center for Development and Media Freedoms (MADA)
83. Paradigm Initiative (PIN)
84. PEN America
85. PEN International
86. Penn Center on Media, Technology, and Democracy (Penn MEDIATED)
87. Press Club Belarus
88. Protection International (PI)
89. Pulitzer Center
90. Public Media Alliance (PMA)
91. Raseef22
92. Reporters Without Borders (RSF)
93. RNW Media
94. ROZANA MEDIA
95. Samir Kassir Foundation (SKF)
96. S.A.F.E. Narratives – Secure Action for Freedom of Expression
97. SembraMedia
98. Software Freedom Law Center India (SFLC.IN)
99. Syrian Center for Media and Freedom of Expression (SCM)
100. Tech4Peace Iraq
101. The African Editors Forum (TAEF)
102. The Transparency, Accountability & Participation (TAP) Network
103. Turkey recap
104. Wattan Media Network, Palestine
105. World Association for Christian Communication (WACC)
106. World Association of News Publishers (WAN-IFRA)
107. Zambia Free Press Initiative