PARIS, Oct. 25 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) on Thursday called for further acts to improve safety of journalists, warning that impunity for crimes against media workers still represent a major challenge to democracy.
"Despite increased public awareness of these problems, statistics show that much remains to be done to shed light on the overwhelming majority of crimes against media workers," UNESCO said.
Between 2006 and 2017, more than a thousand journalists were killed over the globe, with 182 reporters losing their lives in the line of duty, the Paris-based agency noted in a report published ahead of International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists, on Nov. 2.
But,"impunity for these crimes remains shockingly high as only one out of ten such killings was brought to trial," it added.
The UNESCO's report on the safety of journalists and the danger of impunity also showed that local reporters investigating corruption, crime and politics, constitute the overwhelming majority of victims in the profession, representing 90 percent in 2017.
To mark the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists, the UN body planned to launch a global campaign, #TruthNeverDies, in association with media partners from all over the world.
In Lebanon's capital, a conference was scheduled on Nov. 2 that will bring together policymakers, experts, representatives of the judiciary, security forces, national human rights commissions, media and civil society "to identify ways to reinforce and coordinate the fight against impunity."
Other events are also planned in different cities over the globe, including Paris, New York, Brussels, Madrid and others.
