Unesco awards ‘architect’ of Windhoek Declaration

By: GWEN LISTER

“ALAIN Modoux, you are the man behind World Press Freedom Day”. With these words, Unesco Director-General, Irina Bokova, awarded Modoux with a medal at a ceremony in San Jose, Costa Rica earlier this month, to recognise his work in helping formulate the Windhoek Declaration in 1991.

African journalists remain proud that they broke new ground for the media when this Declaration, adopted in the capital on May 3 1991, in turn gave birth to International Press Freedom Day as a result of their work.
The tireless efforts of Modoux, who was at the time Assistant Director-General for Communication and Information, ensured participation of a broad spectrum of African journalists at the Windhoek Conference. Among others, efforts on the part of Modoux and then Director-General, Frederico Mayor, saw the release from jail of a press freedom stalwart, the late Pius Njawe of Cameroon, to attend the meeting.
The gathering culminated in the adoption of the Windhoek Declaration on a Free, Independent and Pluralistic African Media, which in turn gave birth to similar declarations in other parts of the world, such as the Santiago, Alma Ata, Sofia and Sanaa’a.
Namibia, freed of apartheid occupation after United Nations supervised elections oversaw the country’s self-determination culminating in independence in 1990, was chosen as the site for the conference.
At that time Southern African journalists were emerging from the strictures of South African colonial domination, and on other parts of the continent, the press were beginning to tire of the autocratic controls of African governments. The Windhoek Declaration mirrored the desire of African journalists to be free and independent and in 1993 the UN chose May 3, the day of its adoption, as the World Press Freedom Day.
“This shows the power of its words. This shows its importance”, said Bokova when presenting Modoux with his award, a medal representing a Duho armchair, a masterpiece of Taino art, made by the Arawak Indians of the Greater Antilles.
“Unesco’s action to support press freedom under your leadership received international recognition, as well as some of its most significant results, notably in zones of conflict” and “builds today on the foundations you set to enhance the safety of journalists, to strengthen inclusive media development and content”, Bokova told Modoux.
A clearly emotional Modoux, receiving the award on the 20th anniversary of the adoption of World Press Freedom Day, paid tribute to his former Director General, Mayor, as well others who followed, and most of all, to African journalists themselves for making the Windhoek Declaration possible.

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