Good morning, dear all.

I’m writing to follow up on the discussions from the Geneva seminar, where we explored initiatives aimed at supporting journalists in Gaza who are bravely sharing the stories of the victims with the world. I’m excited to share an idea that we would love for your institute to be part of, proposed by UN Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Opinion and Expression, Ms. Irene Khan, during her speech at the Journalists’ Safety Seminar in Addis Ababa on November 7.

The idea is to invite a group of journalists from Europe, the Americas, Australia, Asia, and Africa to travel to the Rafah border crossing alongside Ms. Khan, to highlight the ongoing restrictions that prevent journalists and independent media from entering Gaza. This would draw attention to the critical need for media access to report the truth. We would be happy to cover the travel and accommodation expenses for the participants.

 

Here’s what we envision for the initiative:

 

• We would select influential journalists and correspondents from media outlets in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Chile, Brazil, the UK, Norway, Spain, Belgium, Switzerland, France, Austria, Australia, Japan, Malaysia, and South Africa.
• We’d like to invite leaders from international organizations dedicated to journalist safety, such as IPI, RSF, CPJ, EFJ, IFJ, Free Press Unlimited, Article 19, INSI, WAN-IFRA, FAJ, and IFEX.
• The plan includes a solidarity event, featuring speeches, photos of journalists harmed by the Gaza conflict, and interviews with media outlets that have covered the journalists’ stories.
• Additionally, we’d like to invite key figures from UNESCO, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, the European Parliament’s Media Freedom Special Rapporteur, and the OAS’s Inter-American Commission on Human Rights.

 

The International Press Institute will be preparing a budget for the travel and accommodation of the participants, and we would be grateful for your support in making this initiative a reality.

I’m looking forward to hearing your thoughts and hope you’ll be able to join us in this important effort. Once we have your approval, we will proceed with contacting Ms. Khan and finalizing the budget.

 

Thank you so much for considering this.

I truly appreciate your time and support.