On a different note, I fully recognise that social media can be misused, and across the world we see that social media is used for purposes of propaganda, populism and hate speech. But I also strongly believe that social media across the world is an important instrument to strengthen confidence between citizens and elected representatives. It is an open forum to share viewpoints in a non-violent manner, and therefore a key instrument to enhancing transparent debates on issues of national importance. As citizens and as governments our role must be to counter the misinformation campaigns on social media by encouraging positive open debates that give voice to the people. The point I am making is that democracy grows and becomes resilient only once it is truly owned by the citizens. Citizens must participate, they have to raise their voice and they should be encouraged by the environment to do so. In this regard, the inclusion of the voices of the youth is crucial. Not only are they ahead of many of us when it comes to the use of social media. They are also the future of our countries, and a meaningful dialogue between the young people, as well as CSOs, citizen's movements, academics and of course media, are powerful drivers for change and a great resource for a democratic country. It is fundamental for a vibrant, dynamic, peaceful and stable society. we are focusing the debate on the media and free speech as we celebrate the International Day on Universal Access to Information. The EU stands committed to defending the values of free expression and free media both online and offline and it stands ready to provide support including in capacity building and protection to journalists under threat, both in Europe and across the world. In this regard, the annual EU Human Rights Defenders Award in 2016 was given to a colleague from the Human Rights Network for Journalists (HRNJ) in Uganda. This was in recognition for HRNJ’s determination to bring to the limelight violations against media freedom and to document cases of media practitioners being assaulted by both politicians and security forces. We are sure that today's discussions will be enriching mainly thanks to the variety and quality of the speakers, including academics, journalists, Members of Parliament media organisations and democracy practitioners. We look forward to the panellists bringing their different experiences and multidimensional insights into issues that require a multidimensional approach. We look forward to the contributions from the high level audience present today. Thanks to Makerere University for hosting the event.
On a different note, I fully recognise that social media can be misused, and across the world we see that social media is used for purposes of propaganda, populism and hate speech. But I also strongly believe that social media across the world is an important instrument to strengthen confidence between citizens and elected representatives. It is an open forum to share viewpoints in a non-violent manner, and therefore a key instrument to enhancing transparent debates on issues of national importance. As citizens and as governments our role must be to counter the misinformation campaigns on social media by encouraging positive open debates that give voice to the people. The point I am making is that democracy grows and becomes resilient only once it is truly owned by the citizens. Citizens must participate, they have to raise their voice and they should be encouraged by the environment to do so. In this regard, the inclusion of the voices of the youth is crucial. Not only are they ahead of many of us when it comes to the use of social media. They are also the future of our countries, and a meaningful dialogue between the young people, as well as CSOs, citizen's movements, academics and of course media, are powerful drivers for change and a great resource for a democratic country. It is fundamental for a vibrant, dynamic, peaceful and stable society. we are focusing the debate on the media and free speech as we celebrate the International Day on Universal Access to Information. The EU stands committed to defending the values of free expression and free media both online and offline and it stands ready to provide support including in capacity building and protection to journalists under threat, both in Europe and across the world. In this regard, the annual EU Human Rights Defenders Award in 2016 was given to a colleague from the Human Rights Network for Journalists (HRNJ) in Uganda. This was in recognition for HRNJ’s determination to bring to the limelight violations against media freedom and to document cases of media practitioners being assaulted by both politicians and security forces. We are sure that today's discussions will be enriching mainly thanks to the variety and quality of the speakers, including academics, journalists, Members of Parliament media organisations and democracy practitioners. We look forward to the panellists bringing their different experiences and multidimensional insights into issues that require a multidimensional approach. We look forward to the contributions from the high level audience present today. Thanks to Makerere University for hosting the event.
speaking_points_for_mogens-access_to_information_day.docx