Doha hosted the International Conference on the Protection of Journalists in Armed Conflicts on 8–9 October 2025, drawing reporters, human rights advocates, and legal experts from across the globe.

Organised by Al Jazeera Centre for Public Liberties and Human Rights in partnership with Qatar’s National Human Rights Committee, the event was a stark reminder of the dangers faced by those reporting from war zones.

The first day opened with addresses from H.E. Maryam bint Abdullah Al-Attiyah, Chair of Qatar’s National Human Rights Committee, and H.E. Sheikh Nasser Bin Faisal Al-Thani, Al Jazeera Media Network Director-General

Messages from UN and African Union rapporteurs, UNESCO officials, the ICC, and the UN Human Rights Office framed the debate in a global context.

Journalists from Gaza, Syria, and Sudan spoke of being targets, naming colleagues who had been detained, disappeared, or killed.

A moment of silence was observed, while an exhibition outside the Conference Hall displayed the faces of journalists lost in pursuit of the truth.

On the second day, the conference adopted the Doha Declaration, reaffirming the international commitment to protect journalists.

The declaration urges states to strengthen legal safeguards, monitor violations, respect press independence, and ensure technology does not put journalists at risk.

It also calls for support for journalists and their families and a global campaign to honour those killed in conflict.

Doha International Conference and Declaration on the Protection of Journalists in Armed Conflicts Final.pdf