UN Global Digital Compact signals support for media freedom

On the occasion of the UN General Assembly’s adoption of the Global Digital Compact on September 22, 2024, DW Director General Peter Limbourg said: "The United Nations’ Global Digital Compact sends a strong signal regarding freedom of expression and free media in the digital space. Fundamental human rights must also be the foundation for exchange and understanding on the Internet, which is why we firmly oppose restrictions through censorship on freedom of expression, and the indiscriminate blocking of the Internet. Governments must ensure that people have access to all media that report in the public interest, and they have to guarantee that journalists can carry out their work safely."

The UN General Assembly adopted the Global Digital Compact last Sunday at the Summit of the Future in New York. The Compact is part of the UN’s Pact for the Future. DW Akademie, Deutsche Welle’s center for international media development, journalism training and knowledge transfer, was represented at the New York summit. It had accompanied the civil society processes around the UN Global Digital Compact together with the Global Forum on Media Development (GFMD).

About DW Akademie

DW Akademie is Deutsche Welle’s center for international media development, journalism training and knowledge transfer. Its projects strengthen the human right to freedom of expression and unhindered access to information, empowering people worldwide to make independent decisions based on reliable facts and constructive dialogue. A strategic partner of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), DW Akademie also receives funding from the German Federal Foreign Office and the European Union, working in around 70 developing countries and emerging economies. 

Contact: 

DW (Deutsche Welle), Carla Hagemann, Corporate Communications, [email protected], +49.30.4646.8197