World Press Freedom Day 2017

Frank La Rue is Assistant Director-General Communication and Information at UNESCO. Before, Mr. La Rue was a member of the cabinet of the Government of Guatemala as Presidential Secretary for Human Rights. He was the Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression at the UN Office of the High Commissioner of Human Rights. Mr La Rue was also founder and Director of the Center for Human Rights Legal Action in Guatemala (CALDH), and has been involved in the promotion of human rights, in particular in freedom of expression, for over 25 years. He is widely respected as one of the world’s foremost human rights advocates, with particular expertise in political analysis; democratic development; and conflict management, negotiation, and resolution. A lawyer by training, Mr La Rue has worked as a journalist, served in the government in his native Guatemala, and has frequently taught and written about human rights.