Norway supports SLPI’s international conference on Colombo Declaration

The Royal Norwegian Embassy along with UNESCO aided the Sri Lanka Press Institute (SLPI) in organising an international conference to mark the 20th anniversary of the Colombo Declaration on Media Freedom and Social Responsibility from 27-30 September in Colombo. 

The conference coincided with the International Day for the Universal Access to Information (IDUAI) as recognised by the United Nations. Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe inaugurated the event. 

Speaking at the event, Ambassador of Norway to Sri Lanka and Maldives Thorbjørn Gaustadsæther said that the Colombo Declaration was the roadmap to establish the SLPI in 2003 with the financial support of Norway, Sweden and Denmark. He said that the Norwegian Embassy is proud of its strong, decades-long relationship with SLPI.  

He further said that Sri Lanka has taken several noteworthy measures in media freedom and social responsibility in recent years, such as endorsing the Open Government Declaration in October 2015, thereby becoming the first participating South Asian country. 

The Open Government Declaration encourages governments to make commitments to promote transparency, empower citizens, fight corruption, and harness new technologies to strengthen governments by learning from each other’s experiences and by working with civil society within the country.

While highlighting the importance of the Right to Information (RTI) Act, Ambassador Gaustadsæther said that having strong RTI laws encourages people’s participation in government and promotes cooperation, transparency and trust between people and those elected by the people. 

Two prominent journalists from Norway, Liv Ekeberg and Eva Stabell, were among the international speakers at the event. Representatives from Australia, Bangladesh, Canada, China, Germany, India, Norway, Pakistan and the UK as well as local editors, publishers, journalists, academics and information technology professionals attended the conference.