Shutting down an international civil society forum through its invocation of prior restraint on content of the programme and citing the need for alignment with “national values, policy priorities, and broader public-interest considerations” represents a serious and unacceptable violation of universal human rights standards including freedom of assembly, press freedom, independent journalism, and open civic space which are protected by Articles 19 and 21 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.
That pressure from China influenced Zambia’s decision further demonstrates the scale and severity of threats facing the civic space environment from foreign interference. No government should have the power to compromise such convenings.
Although this is an extremely serious attack on human rights, it is not isolated. These developments take place in an already challenging context of shrinking liberties and funding for journalism, digital rights, and free expression communities worldwide.
Effectively cancelling RightsCon and thereby seriously disrupting UNESCO’s World Press Freedom Day conference on 4 May weakens an already strained ecosystem and contributes to fragmentation, isolation, and, ultimately, a chilling effect on collective action.
Multistakeholderism must be protected in practice, not just proclaimed in principle
Members of international platforms such as the Media Freedom Coalition and Freedom Online Coalition must continue to use their convening power to ensure the participation of civil society in global forums and take concrete action against restrictions on civic space and freedom of expression.
For future regional and international fora, the demands of journalism, digital rights, and free expression communities for the physical, digital, and legal conditions for safe and open convening must be met by the UN, other inter-governmental organisations and States.
Restoring the legacy of the Windhoek Declaration
Zambia’s decision is symbolically significant because of its proximity to Namibia, where in 1991 the signing of the Windhoek declaration led directly to the UN declaring 3 May as World Press Freedom Day two years later.
Promoting independent, pluralistic, and free media, it urges governments to protect journalists and avoid media control. Its renewal in 2021 reaffirmed a regional and international commitment to media freedom, independence, and safety.
That legacy underscores what is threatened today. These challenges remind us of the need for media to remain agile and innovative, and to uphold functional independence from any one specific actor.
Safeguarding the future of World Press Freedom Day and of the broader ecosystems it engenders requires renewed collective commitment to solidarity, accountability, and the protection of civic space.
We stand with our colleagues in Zambia and across Southern Africa
We express our solidarity with the almost 3,000 journalists, digital rights defenders, press freedom and media support and civil society actors in Zambia, across Africa, and globally who have been directly affected by the last-minute cancellation of RightsCon 2026 and the subsequent drastic downscaling of UNESCO’s World Press Freedom Day conference in Lusaka on 4 May.
We also express our strong support and solidarity with AccessNow, the organisers of RightsCon, as well as all their partners who had planned side events to further their vital work.
Above all, we stand with our colleagues in Zambia and across Southern Africa who continue to work indefatigably under increasingly constrained conditions.
* Having previously announced that Zambia’s Ministry of Technology and Science would be the primary Government partner for RightsCon 2026, the Zambian government announced the “postponement” of RightsCon on Wednesday, 29th April, just days before the conference was due to begin on 5th May. Later the same day, the organisers of RightsCon AccessNow confirmed that RightsCon would not proceed in Zambia or online.
On Thursday, 30th April, UNESCO announced that the programme of the World Press Freedom Day in-person conference, entitled “Shaping a Future of Peace”, which has been scheduled to take place at the same venue as RightsCon, would take place “primarily online with an event also organised in Lusaka on 4 May”.
About this statement
The statement was drafted by the members and communities of the Global Forum for Media Development and IFEX.
- The Global Forum for Media Development (GFMD) is the largest global community for media development, media freedom, and journalism support. Through collaboration, coordination, and collective action, our network of 224 member organisations — as well as our dozens of partners— creates, promotes, and delivers policies and programmes to sustain journalism as a public good.
- IFEX is a nexus for free expression expertise contributed by over 100 member organisations, spanning 70 countries, and committed to collaboration and transformative advocacy.
News coverage
- Zambia cancels world’s largest human rights and tech summit days before start (The Guardian, 2 May 2026)
- What Sub-Saharan Africa loses with RightCon’s cancellation (CybAfrique Newsletter, 2 May 2026)
- The Chinese Government Just Got the World’s Largest Digital Rights Conference Cancelled (WIRED, 1 May 2026)
- Zambia: Summit on Human Rights, Technology Effectively Cancelled (Human Rights Watch, 1 May 2026)
- The origins of World Press Freedom Day (BBC World Service: Witness, 1 May 2026)
- Zambia: RightsCon cancellation is a blow to freedom of expression (ARTICLE19, 30 April 2026)
- Press statement: Net Rights Coalition, 132 other Digital Rights Stakeholders endorse statement condemning the Government of Zambia’s Abrupt Disruption of RightsCon (Net Rights Coalition, 30 April 2026)
- RightsCon Cancelled After Zambia Requires ‘Full Alignment’ With ‘National Values’ (Tech Policy Press, 30 April 2026)
- “This is going to spread like a veld fire.” (DW Akademie, 5 May 2026)
Relevant statements
Signatories
Organisations
- 7amleh – The Arab Center for the Advancement of Social Media
- Accountability Lab
- ACOS Alliance
- African Women in Media
- Alhudood
- Alliance of Independent Journalists (AJI) Indonesia
- Asosiasi Media Siber Indonesia (AMSI)
- Arab Reporters for Investigative Journalism (ARIJ)
- ARTICLE 19
- Association for Freedom of Thought and Expression (AFTE).
- Association for International Broadcasting (AIB)
- Balkan Investigative Reporting Network (BIRN)
- Bangladesh NGOs Network for Radio and Communication
- Cambodian Center for Human Rights (CCHR)
- Cartoonists Rights
- Catholic Media Council (CAMECO) e.V
- Centre for Journalism and Democracy
- Centre for Independent Journalism (CIJ) Malaysia
- Centre for Law and Democracy
- Centre for Media and Society (CEMESO)
- Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility (CMFR)
- Center for Sustainable Media (CSM)
- Centro de Archivos y Acceso a la Información (Cainfo)C
- critical infrastructure lab – University of Amsterdam
- Daily Humanity Foundation
- Daily Nawa-I-Ahmedpur Sharqia Pakistan
- DW Akademie
- Eastern Africa Editors Society (EAES)
- Espacio Público
- Ethical Journalism Network
- European Federation of Journalists (EFJ)
- European Journalism Centre (EJC)
- Excellence Foundation for South Sudan
- Factjaja
- Febrayer Network
- FlokiNET ehf
- Fojo Media Institute
- Fondation Hirondelle – Media for peace and human dignity
- Fundación para la Libertad de Prensa (FLIP, Colombia)
- Freedom Forum, Nepal
- Freedom of Expression (FXI)
- Gambia Press Union (GPU)
- Gisa Group | 3ayin
- Global Forum for Media Development (GFMD)
- Global Investigative Journalism Network (GIJN)
- Global Voices
- Global Youth & News Media
- GoodBot Society
- Gulf Centre for Human Rights (GCHR)
- IDEM e.V.
- Hungarian Civil Liberties Union
- I’lam – Arab Center for Media Freedom Development and Research
- IFEX
- IFoX/Initiative for Freedom of Expression-Turkey
- Institut Panos-Haiti
- Institute for Regional Media and Information (IRMI)
- International Association of Women in Radio and Television -(IAWRT-Kenya)
- International Federation of Journalists (IFJ)
- International Federation for Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA)
- International Media Support (IMS)
- International Press Centre (IPC)
- International Service for Human Rights (ISHR)
- Internews Europe
- Institute of Mass Information (IMI)
- International Media Support
- Instituto Prensa y Sociedad – IPYS, Perú
- JASS – Just Associates
- Journalismfund Europe
- JUMMAR
- Lviv Media Forum
- Media Action Nepal
- Media Development Center (Tunisia)
- Media Diversity Institute
- Media Diversity Institute Global
- Media Leadership Think Tank, GIBS
- Media Policy Institute (MPI) Kyrgyzstan
- Media Rights Agenda (MRA)
- Media Self Regulation Council of Zambia
- Media Voice
- Momentum – Journalism and Tech Task Force
- Moxii Africa
- Muwatin Media Network
- National Union of Journalists of Ukraine
- NMT Media Foundation
- Palestinian Center for Development and Media Freedoms (MADA)
- Paradigm Initiative (PIN)
- PEN America
- PEN International
- Penn Center on Media, Technology, and Democracy (Penn MEDIATED)
- Press Club Belarus
- Protection International (PI)
- Pulitzer Center
- Public Media Alliance (PMA)
- Raseef22
- Reporters Without Borders (RSF)
- RNW Media
- ROZANA MEDIA
- Samir Kassir Foundation (SKF)
- S.A.F.E. Narratives – Secure Action for Freedom of Expression
- SembraMedia
- Skyline International for Human Rights (SIHR)
- Software Freedom Law Center India (SFLC.IN)
- Syrian Center for Media and Freedom of Expression (SCM)
- Tech4Peace Iraq
- The African Editors Forum (TAEF)
- The Transparency, Accountability & Participation (TAP) Network
- Turkey recap
- Wattan Media Network, Palestine
- World Association for Christian Communication (WACC)
- World Association of News Publishers (WAN-IFRA)
- Zambia Free Press Initiative
Individuals
- Angie Drobnic Holan, director, International Fact-Checking Network (IFCN)
- Joan Chirwa, Zambian journalist and lawyer
- Ledja Canaj, Maison Culturelle Belgo-Albanaise (ShqipVille),Civil Society & Integration Platform, Brussels
- Natalia Viana, executive director, Agencia Publica, Brazil
- Nozha Ben Mohamed, Radio 6, Tunisia
- Rashweat Mukundu, Zimbabwean Journalist and free expression activist
- Sandro Mattioli, freelance journalist covering Italian organised crime
- Mohamed ElGohary, Digital Rights Expert and Human Rights Defender
- Monika Sikulova, Independent Consultant