A/HRC/27/35 conference on the safety of journalists, with participants representing OSCE, the Council of Europe, UNESCO and civil society. Specific recommendations on the legal framework, security of investigative journalists and best practices were elaborated. The representative of the Czech Republic stated that, given the importance of media pluralism, the Czech Republic provided yearly financial support for a number of projects, conducted by nongovernmental organizations, with the aim of improving journalism standards and the quality of the overall media landscape. According to the representative of France, the State was working with partners to ensure that non-governmental organizations and institutions could reflect together and design practical solutions for improving the safety of journalists. The representative of Poland referred to the Eastern Partnership Journalistic Prize, which had been awarded since 2011 with the support of Foundation of Reporters Poland to send a clear signal that the work of journalists was appreciated and heeded. Ecuador supported an award for responsible journalism, while the International Organization of la Francophonie had created, in partnership with Radio France International and Reporters Without Borders, the francophone prize for press freedom. F. Importance of partnerships and civil society 49. Delegations considered that collaboration among organizations and authorities at the international, regional and national levels to promote the safety of journalists was of the utmost importance to bring visibility to the issue and to share good practices and lessons learned. No organization could tackle the issue alone. In this context, several delegations also stressed the important role played by civil society. Civil society organizations had exposed and effectively drawn attention to killings, detention and attacks on journalists and media workers. States should have open lines of communication with civil society and work together, for example in awareness-raising campaigns, the development of protection mechanisms and devising training for law enforcement officials. 50. Mr. Engida concurred, then pointed out that UNESCO was a small organization with a broad mandate, and that partnerships were essential to translate its mandate into practice. Global and regional partnerships were needed between United Nations agencies, Governments and civil society. Ms. Mijatović advocated for more engagement from Governments with civil society, and in particular with organizations that work with journalists. Ms. Saady agreed that civil society, including journalists unions and syndicates, had an important role to play, but pointed out that, in some countries, civil society was constrained in its space to work on these issues. V. Conclusions 51. Participants in the panel discussion agreed that journalists and media workers play a critical role in any democratic society. Journalists were described as the “eyes and voices of civil society” and the “vigilant watchdogs of civil liberties” who help to keep the public informed and the authorities and institutions that purport to work in the public interest in check. 52. Because of their role, journalists and media workers are often and increasingly victims of threats and attacks, including murder. The safety of journalists and media workers is a fundamental component of the right to freedom of expression, to seek and impart information, and of the freedom of the media. The protection of journalists and media workers is a priority. 14