World Press Freedom Day 2017

Sylvie Coudray has been working at UNESCO for almost twenty five years. She is the Chief of Section for Freedom of Expression in the Division of Freedom of Expression and Media Development. 

Her first assignment was to generate public awareness and foster advocacy to promote freedom of the press as an essential component of any democratic society, notably through the organization of the World Press Freedom Day and the UNESCO World Press Freedom Prize, as well as the UN Plan of Action on the Safety of journalists and the Issue of Impunity.  

At the normative level, she has been actively involved in the planning and organization of a series of regional seminars on promoting pluralistic and independent media. At the operational level, she took part actively in the media assistance programmes to draw up master plans for restructuring the media landscape in the aftermath of national reconciliations. 

She has a M.Ssc. in History (Sorbonne) and a M.Ssc in  media and communication (Institut Français de Presse). She has edited several various publications in various media related fields such as media and new communication technologies, media and terrorism and media in conflict areas.