Statement by Ireland at the 1422nd meeting of the Permanent Council
Statement
11 May 2023Mr Chair,
Ireland aligns with the statement made by the EU and we would like to add the following remarks in our national capacity.
We wish to welcome the Representative on Freedom of the Media, Teresa Ribeiro, to the Permanent Council and to express our appreciation to her and her team for their excellent work in protecting media freedom across the OSCE.
Ireland highly values the work of the Representative on Freedom of the Media. The statement of the Representative today sets out the sad and sobering reality of increasing repression and censorship of independent media, compounded by the unprecedented spread of disinformation and hate speech online.
I thank the Representative for highlighting in her statement to the Permanent Council the tragic deaths of media workers in Ukraine as a result of Russia’s war of aggression. The death on Tuesday of the French journalist, Arman Soldin, was a tragic reminder of the dangers that journalists face in carrying out their critical work of reporting on developments on the ground.
I also thank the Representative for outlining in her statement the fierce repression of independent media in Russia and Belarus, and her wider concerns about backsliding in media freedom in other parts of the OSCE region.
As the excellent discussions at the Supplementary Human Dimension Meeting in March made absolutely clear, a free and independent media is essential for our common peace and security.
In this context, the role and mandate of the Representative on Freedom of the Media has never been more important.
I would like to pay tribute to you, Representative Ribeiro, and your team for continuing to fulfil your mandate with enormous dedication and energy. I and my team are grateful for your support to us as Chair of the Human Dimension Committee and we look forward to continuing our cooperation for the rest of the year.
Thank you, Mr. Chair.