Kampala | A delegation from the European Union (EU) in Uganda has met with the Uganda Journalists Association (UJA) ahead of World Press Freedom Day (WPFD) 2024 on May 3.
The meeting took place recently at the EU offices in Kampala.
The UJA team was led by Mathias Rukundo, the association’s president, and the EU team was led by H.E Jan Sadek.
According to Rukundo, they organised a series of activities to commemorate WPFD 2024, including outreach meetings with press freedom advocates.
“Our meeting focused on Uganda’s debilitating press freedom, which has resulted in the detention, intimidation, and arrest of some journalists,” Rukundo said.
Rukundo noted that the EU is one of Uganda’s development partners in areas such as press freedom, the environment, trade, and health, and that there is no reason why you cannot engage with such partners when necessary.
The president of the Uganda Journalists Association wondered why journalism is being made dangerous by some bad actors in government and the public, despite the fact that it is legal.
He said it was high time that journalists strongly put together their voice against such bad practices with implications on access to information for the growth of the society.
Rukundo praised the EU team’s passionate dedication to press freedom advocacy, promotion, and protection.
Also read: Press Freedom 2023: Uganda ranks 133rd as Africa becomes new disinformation and propaganda lab
WPFD serves as a reminder to governments of the importance of upholding their commitment to press freedom, as well as a day for media professionals to reflect on issues of press freedom and professional ethics.
It is also a day of remembrance for journalists who died while pursuing a story.
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