Opening remarks by UNRC Antje Grawe at the 24th OSCE Central Asian Media Conference (CACM) At a Crossroads: safeguarding media freedom to protect democracy.

Distinguished representatives of our host Government, Kyrgyzstan, and representatives of Governments, Parliament, civil society and media from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan,

Dear [OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media H.E.] Teresa [Ribeiro], a warm welcome to Bishkek,

Excellencies, Ladies and gentlemen, dear colleagues,

On behalf of the United Nations in the Kyrgyz Republic, I am deeply honored to address the OSCE Central Asia Media Conference dedicated to “Safeguarding Media Freedom to Protect Democracy”. Let me  start by commending the Kyrgyz Government for hosting this important annual appointment for the region this year and thank the Representative on Freedom of the Media for bringing us all here together to discuss this pertinent topic, during a year when we are celebrating the 30th anniversary between the UN and the OSCE.

As UN in Kyrgyzstan, we have over recent months made our position on freedom of the media and freedom of expression and other fundamental freedoms and human rights clear in relation to developments in Kyrgyzstan clear. Today, allow me to offer a few more general reflections:

The fundamental principles of freedom of expression and media freedoms are not only enshrined in the UN Charter’s objectives, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, whose 75th anniversary we are celebrating this year, the International Covenant on Civic and Political Rights, international human rights instruments, and the Constitutions of Central Asian countries, but they also serve as vital drivers for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals and the vision set forth in Agenda 2030, a key priority for all countries in the region.

As the drafters of the UN Charter and of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights clearly recognized, development, peace and security, and respect for human rights are interdependent, and achieving them requires meaningful, inclusive and safe public and civil society participation. Meaningful participation in turn requires open civic space: an environment that brings a diversity of voices into debates, and a vibrant media landscape that allows for the dissemination of factual, timely, clear, accessible, multilingual and evidence-based information which enables people and societies to be sufficiently well-informed to make appropriate and meaningful political, civil, social, economic, or cultural choices.

Free media and an open civic space are not only essential for democracy. They are equally important for prosperity, economic growth, and inclusive and sustainable development for the following reasons, among other:

States and societies that value freedom of expression and promote diverse perspectives can encourage creativity and innovation, provide an enabling environment for the development of new ideas, products, and services, spur entrepreneurship, new job opportunities, and equal access to them.

I heard this directly from many private sector representatives not only in Bishkek, but also in several provinces that I had a privilege to travel to recently. Entrepreneurs shared some of their fears about the potential impact of media and internet restrictions on job creation and economic growth, for instance by limiting the promotion of products and services through social media platforms.

Furthermore, a diverse and inclusive media landscape also helps societies to leave no one behind, the motto of the Sustainable Development Goals as it allows under-represented or marginalized groups, whose voices may otherwise remain unheard, such as local women-leaders, minorities, youth, or people with disabilities, to be part of the national conversation.

Free and pluralistic media can help promote social justice and equality and create opportunities for all people in Central Asia to participate in the sustainable development of their countries.

Thus, policies spurring economic growth or national development programs are bound to face significant hurdles if media freedoms and civic space in general are weakened. Policy, legislation and practice at all levels should be guided by this assumption.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Freedom of expression can cope with disinformation. While this right is not absolute, we should remember that it can be restricted only on the basis of the principles of legality, necessity, proportionality and non-discrimination. Restrictions that do not meet any one of these tests are potentially unlawful.

That said, far too often states opt for restrictive policies. Also because it is the easy thing to do. And ijn our discussions, we often only focus on what should not be done.

I therefore would like to flag that the UN General Assembly has recently called upon States “to counter disinformation not through penalties, but through policy measures, including education, capacity-building for prevention and resilience to disinformation, advocacy and awareness-raising”. International human rights experts and UNESCO, for example, have done the same and called on States to consider positive measures such as support for media and information literacy programmes to deal with misinformation rather than penalizing approaches.  This also to avoid that penalizing approaches are being used to restrict access to certain information; to discredit and restrict critical reporting; to target, prosecute and silence journalists, opponents, whistle-blowers or human rights defenders or stigmatize and discriminate already under-represented groups.

An exception where speech must be restricted is incitement to hatred and violence. Two concurrent problems that require our urgent attention:

On one hand, cases that reach the level of incitement to hatred and violence are often not prosecuted when marginalized groups are targeted. On the other hand, ambiguous laws on hate speech have been used to suppress what is perceived as opposition, dissent and criticism.

To effectively address hate speech, responses need to be multifaceted and grounded in respect for freedom of expression.

UN mechanisms highlight that in addition to relevant legal measures, the  State’s responses to prevention of hate speech should include a plurality of policies, practices and measures nurturing social consciousness and promoting non-discrimination, human rights and democratic values. And meaningful action against hate speech and false information should be taken jointly by the State, private sector, media, educators, religious leaders, and civil society actors to ensure both measured approaches and adequate protection of those who are recurring targets of hate speech including minorities, women and girls, LGBTIQ+ community members, refugees and migrants, journalists and human rights activists.

The OHCHR Rabat Plan of Action of 2012, and several other documents prepared by the UN, offer important guidance also to Central Asian countries in this regard, we believe.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

In conclusion, let me recall that freedom of opinion and freedom of expression are indispensable conditions for the full development of the person and they are the foundational stones for any society that aspires to grow and develop.

To protect and promote these fundamental freedoms, joint efforts and multi-stakeholder collaboration of the State institutions, civil society including grassroot organisations, media, youth, private sector, and academia are essential.

I am confident that debates over the next two days will reiterate the importance of a human rights-based approach to fundamental freedoms and civic space in the region. This is all the more timely as three out of five Central Asian countries are members of the UN Human Rights Council at the moment, an honour that comes with an expectation to lead by example in upholding the highest standards in the promotion and protection of human rights.

I wish you a productive discussion today and tomorrow, and I look forward to the recommendations that will emanate from this conference.

Thank you.