Credit: Council of Europe
Ahead of World Press Freedom Day on Sunday 3 March 2026, Luxembourg’s Ministry of Culture and the Luxembourg Commission for UNESCO issued a statement where it said that the occasion is “more vital than ever”.
The ministry said: “3 May serves as a reminder to governments of the need to uphold their commitment to press freedom and also provides a day of reflection for media professionals on issues relating to press freedom and professional ethics.”
The ministry noted that in November 2025, UNESCO published the global report on Global Trends in Freedom of Expression and Media Development, subtitled Journalism: Shaping a World in Peace, which was presented at the UNESCO General Conference in Samarkand, in the presence of Xavier Bettel, Luxembourg’s Minister of Foreign and European Affairs and Foreign Trade.
UNESCO’s report showed that since 2012, the global index of freedom of expression has fallen by 10% and the influence of government and powerful groups (economic consortia, cartels) over the media had increased by 48% between January 2022 and November 2025. Over the same period, self-censorship among journalists rose by 63%, which was described as “a regrettable but understandable development”.
In three years, 310 journalists (including 24 women) lost their lives due to their commitment to a free press. The persecution they face often extends to their families, while their media outlets are exposed to SLAPPs (Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation), abusive legal actions that overwhelm critical media with high legal costs in order to intimidate or financially ruin them.
The ministry said: “In a context marked by the widespread dissemination of information on social media and the circulation of falsified images generated by artificial intelligence, credible and independent journalism is more important than ever. Efforts to protect press freedom must therefore be continued and intensified in Luxembourg as well, in order to strengthen and safeguard the Luxembourg media landscape, an essential element of quality of life in a democracy.”
It added: “Press freedom and independent journalism are not sector-specific issues. They are forward-looking forces and cross-cutting levers in the service of peace, resilience and democratic governance. By promoting access to reliable information, accountability, dialogue and trust, they constitute essential pillars of peace, economic recovery, sustainable development and human rights.”
In this context, the Luxembourg Commission for UNESCO warmly congratulated the Luxembourg Association of Professional Journalists (ALJP) on the occasion of its centenary, celebrated on Saturday 2 May 2026. The commission said: “Journalists who carry out their mission with rigour, independence, responsibility and respect for ethical principles constitute the fourth estate, indispensable to any democracy.”
Moreover, in the wake of World Press Freedom Day, the Government Information and Press Service and the Media, Connectivity and Digital Policy Department has announced it will organise, in close cooperation with the Luxembourg Commission for UNESCO, an event on the themes addressed in the report and relevant to the Luxembourg press on Monday 1 June 2026 at the Abbaye de Neumünster (neimënster) in Luxembourg-Grund.
