Each year, UNESCO celebrates World Press Freedom Day globally. The main/signature event is held in a different region or country each year. This year’s signature event was held in Brussels, Belgium, on the 7th of May.
LIRNEasia CEO Helani Galpaya was one of the speakers on the panel titled Freedom of Expression and AI: Press Freedom, Information Integrity, and the Rule of Law. The other panellists were Michael O’Flaherty (Commissioner for Human Rights of the Council of Europe), Pedro Conceição (Director of the Human Development Report Office, UNDP), and Irene Jay Liu (Regional Director, Asia & the Pacific, International Fund for Public Interest Media). The session was moderated by Karen Kaiser (Legal Counsel, Associated Press).
Helani Galpaya at the panel on Freedom of Expression and AI: Press Freedom, Information Integrity, and the Rule of Law
Helani’s input in the panel drew from our ongoing and recent research on data for development, election misinformation, information disorder, and responsible AI.
The signature event on the 7th was preceded by a series of parallel events organised by UNESCO and other partners on the 3rd, 5th and 6th of May.
Throughout May, there were other events across the world. Helani was also a panellist at the UNESCO World Press Freedom Day 2025 South Asia Conference, held in Nepal held on the 4th of May.
