World Press Freedom Day message from Minister McCoy

World Press Freedom Day 2023 Message from Hon. Kwame McCoy, Minister within the Office of the Prime Minister

Guyana has grown leaps and bounds over the past two decades and is on a transformational trajectory that is both exciting and empowering for all her patriotic citizens. As the socioeconomic landscape of the country evolves in multi-dimensional directions, the Fourth Estate and arguably the emerging Fifth, will remain most pivotal in helping to undergird the national ethos.

Successive PPP/C Governments have consistently regarded the free press in high esteem, seeking always to partner in the building of fundamental capacities to steadily improve, creating opportunities for professional industry training and academic growth, and building an enabling environment that safeguards the sanctity, security, freedoms and access of the media, in consonance with broader freedoms and rights enjoyed by every citizen under the constitution.

Further, successive PPP/C administrations have ratified and enforced international conventions and subscribed to global platforms and fora that promote and advocate in the interest of the fraternity. As recently as 2021, our government ratified the Media Freedom Coalition which focuses heavily on the safety and protection of Journalists and other media workers.

Ours is a commitment that is steadfast and unwavering and one which is embedded in an active continuum of a future of rights, as a cornerstone of responsible governance and citizenship. In 2022, after convening one of the largest assembly of media practitioners and other stakeholders in a national conference and symposium, Guyana’s ranking on the World Press Freedom Index improved 17 places to number 34 among 180 countries.

I am proud to be associated with this stellar record of steady progress towards the most ideal symbiotic environment possible. As with every society and socio-political nexus however, both government and the media have weaknesses and unforced errors to constantly contend with within the national growth paradigm and must separately and collectively strive to achieve as much convergence as possible, as indefatigably as possible. To this noble endeavor, I remain unshakably invested.