International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists 2026: Date, Theme and Significance

The International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists is observed every year on November 2nd. It was declared by the United Nations General Assembly in 2013 and encourages Governments to stop attacks, investigate and hold criminals accountable for crimes committed. The International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists in 2026 emphasizes how new technologies and weapons are causing changes to how journalists are threatened.

International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists 2026 Theme

The theme for 2026 focuses on the way threats to journalists are evolving.

The theme for the year 2026 is “Threats evolve, Impunity persists.” This shows that whilst the ways people are targeting journalists is evolving, those committing crimes of killing and attacks often get away with it.

The day raises awareness about the variety of ways journalists are threatened,

• Killed and attacked, especially in conflict zones.
• Kidnapped, tortured, harassed and arbitrarily detained.
• Harassed and threatened online, especially female journalists.
• Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation (SLAPPs).
• Attacked to stop them reporting facts about corruption, human rights violations, and crime.

Why is it on 2 November?

In 2013 the United Nations General Assembly declared November 2nd as the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists with resolution A/RES/68/163.

This is to commemorate the assassination of two French journalists in Mali on November 2nd 2013. The resolution expresses that attacks and violence against journalists and media workers should not be acceptable.

They also encourage Member States to implement strategies to stop crimes from happening.

The resolution encourages Governments to,

• Investigate attacks on journalists and hold criminals accountable.
• Ensure victims and their families have access to proper redress.
• Provide a safe environment for journalists to work freely.
• Ensure freedom of expression and the public’s right to know.

Journalist Killing and Impunity Around the World

Since 1993 over 1700 journalists have been killed for doing their job and supplying the public with information. In around 9 out of 10 cases, the criminal gets away with it.

This means they do not get held accountable for their actions. This can cause more attacks to happen. This can affect society by making people less likely to report freely and hide human rights violations, corruption and crime.

The UNESCO Director-General’s Report on the Safety of Journalists and the Danger of Impunity 2026 shows that the Arab States had the highest number of murdered journalists.

Female journalists are also vulnerable. The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) reported in their discussion paper ‘The Chilling: Global Trends in Online Violence Against Women Journalists’ that 73% of women journalists reported being threatened, harassed or insulted online.

UN Plan of Action on the Safety of Journalists and the Issue of Impunity

The UN Plan of Action on the Safety of Journalists and the Issue of Impunity is the first time a joint strategy has been implemented by the United Nations to tackle attacks on journalists.

This involves working with multiple different groups including agencies within the United Nations, National Governments, Media Organisations and Civil Society groups to improve the safety of journalists.

This has led to,

• More awareness globally.
• Working with Governments and Civil Society groups.
• National strategies to increase journalist safety in at least 50 countries.
• Journalist safety has been included in international human rights and sustainable development conversations.
• However, high levels of Impunity and new threats are still causing issues.

UNESCO’s Role in Ensuring Journalist Safety

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) play an important role in encouraging journalist safety.

They monitor journalist killings, produce reports on journalist safety and support investigations and holding criminals accountable.

The UNESCO Observatory of Killed Journalists keeps track of journalists who have been killed due to their work. This helps to show how much violence there is and that Impunity is still an issue.