A/HRC/27/28 Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression also prepares regular reports, thematic or country specific, that include analysis and interpretation of relevant human rights standards. Beyond the United Nations system, regional instruments and mechanisms also provide relevant guidance. 35. Taken together, international instruments and documents highlight several issues related to journalism which States Members of the United Nations have emphasized. A first issue is the role of the media in democratic societies and, in particular, in promoting human rights, peace, democracy and development. Freedom of expression, including freedom to seek, receive and impart information through any media, as provided for in the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (art. 19), is a necessary condition for the realization of participation, transparency and accountability, which are, in turn, essential for the promotion and protection of human rights; and a free, uncensored and unhindered press or other media is essential in any society to ensure freedom of expression.6 The Convention on the Rights of the Child highlights the role and responsibility of the mass media in disseminating information and material of social and cultural benefit to children, with due regard to the linguistic needs of children belonging to minority or indigenous communities (art. 17). The UNESCO Declaration states that mass media have an essential part to play in human rights education, particularly of young people, and can contribute effectively to counter “aggressive war, racialism, apartheid and other violations of human rights which are inter alia spawned by prejudice and ignorance” (art. III (2)). The International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination recognizes that effective measures in the fields of education, teaching, culture and information can combat prejudices that lead to racial discrimination (art. 7). 36. States Members of the United Nations also recognize the role of diverse media in the realization of cultural rights. The UNESCO Recommendation on participation by the people at large in cultural life and their contribution to it highlights the role of the mass media as “instruments of cultural enrichment” owing in part to their role in the preservation and popularization of traditional forms of culture, and “by turning themselves into media for group communication and promoting direct participation by the people”. The United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples recognizes the right of indigenous groups to establish their own media in their own languages; State-owned media should reflect indigenous cultural diversity and States should encourage privately owned media to adequately reflect it (art. 16). 37. United Nations instruments also specify the responsibility of media professionals and journalists to respect human rights in performing their functions. International human rights law recognizes that the exercise of freedom of expression carries with it special duties and responsibilities and may be subject to certain restrictions, for example on security and defamation grounds, following strict tests of legality, necessity and proportionality, as well as in relation to other standards, such as the right to privacy or the prohibition of hate speech. The Human Rights Committee, among other mechanisms, has provided extensive jurisprudence and authoritative guidance on those issues. 38. A major issue of concern to the international community is the protection and safety of journalists. Both the Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions and the Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression have highlighted the many challenges faced by journalists in carrying out their work, for instance when covering street protests and demonstrations or reporting on politically sensitive issues, such as human rights violations. The Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders has also provided 6 12 See general comment No. 34 of the Human Rights Committee, paras. 3 and 13.