OSCE marks World Press Freedom Day 2026 in Dushanbe with focus on media freedom, innovation, and co-operation.

On 4 May 2026, the OSCE Programme Office in Dushanbe POiD), supported by Acted, organized a conference to commemorate World Press Freedom Day in Dushanbe under the theme “Shaping a Future at Peace: Promoting Press Freedom for Human Rights, Development, and Security". 

The event brought together 120 participants: government officials, international organizations, media professionals, civil society representatives, and experts to discuss current challenges and opportunities for media freedom in Tajikistan and beyond.

Opening the conference, OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Ambassador Jan Braathu, highlighted that while international commitments on media freedom remain highly relevant, greater emphasis is needed on their effective implementation, particularly in addressing the gap between agreed principles and practice. He also stressed that co-operation among governments, media, and other stakeholders is essential to develop context-specific solutions.

The opening ceremony also featured remarks from representatives of the Government of Tajikistan and international partners, including the remarks from Ambassador of European Union Radoslaw Darski, the UN Resident Coordinator Ramaswami Parvathy, Ambassador of France Elsa Pignol, and Deputy Head of Mission at the UK Embassy Zeenat Khanche, reaffirming their support for media development and co-operation.

Discussions throughout the day addressed key issues shaping today’s media landscape, such as the impact of emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence, on journalism highlighting both opportunities for innovation and the need for responsible policy frameworks. 

In the afternoon, participants engaged in practical roundtable discussions focusing on ethics in journalism, legal protection, media literacy in the digital age, journalism education, gender and safety considerations, and access to information. These discussions encouraged experience-sharing and the development of practical approaches tailored to the national context.

The conference concluded with closing remarks by the POiD Head of the Office, Ambassador Salome Steib. She reaffirmed that the OSCE will continue to support Tajikistan’s media environment through three key priorities: advancing journalism education reform in cooperation with universities and the Ministry of Education, contributing to the development of a balanced legal and regulatory framework on artificial intelligence that safeguards freedom of expression, and commitment to fostering safe and inclusive spaces for dialogue on media freedom between government and civil society.