OSCE Conference Human Dimension Meeting (SHDM) II on Freedom of Expression, Media and Information

In July I took part in the OSCE Conference: Human Dimension Meeting (SHDM) II on Freedom of Expression, Media and Information. This was a two day event that was held online. This was the first time I have taken part in a online conference and found it surprisingly easy. 

The OCSE were kind enough to send me a practice instructions to try out the day before the conference was started. Being able to communicate with the host was easy as well.

The Conference was organised by the  Albanian OSCE Chairmanship, OSCE Representative on Freedom of Media, OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) 

The second Human Dimension Meeting provided a platform for an exchange of views among OSCE participating States, OSCE institutions and other executive structures and a variety of international organizations, civil society and other stakeholders on the implementation of commitments related to addressing the promotion freedom of expression, media and information.

Background

The acknowledgment of human rights and fundamental freedoms as an essential factor for peace and security in Europe has been at the center of OSCE commitments since the Helsinki Act 1975. In 1997, the participating States entrusted the Representative on Freedom of the Media (RFoM) with a mandate to assist them, observe media freedom developments and respond to “serious non-compliance with OSCE principles and commitments by participating States in respect of freedom of expression and free media”. They committed themselves to “take every opportunity offered by modern means of communication […] to increase the freer and wider dissemination of information of all kinds” and called for the internet to remain “an open and public forum for freedom of opinion and expression”.

It was great to take part and share opinions.