The IAPA delegation included IAPA President Jorge Fascetto, El Día, La Plata, Argentina, First Vice President, Tony Pederson, Houston Chronicle, Houston, Texas; Julio E. Muñoz, Executive Director; Jairo Lanao, Chapultepec Project Attorney; and Sean Casey, Chapultepec Project Administrator.
The forum began with a day-long series of panelists who provided various perspectives on the Declaration of Chapultepec. The inauguration was launched by an official welcome by Winston Robles, La Prensa, and Regional Vice Chairman for Panama of the IAPAs Committee on Freedom of the Press and Informations. Keynote-speaker Winston Spadafora, assistant to President-elect Mireya Moscoso, stated in his remarks, "Freedom of expression is too valuable to be defended only by the media, it is the responsibility of all professions." Other presentations were made by Panamanian Defender of Human Rights, Italo Antinori; Minister of Government and Justice, Mariela Sagel; and Gustavo Gorriti, Peruvian newspaper editor currently in exile in Panama. The forum was attended by journalists, editors, government officials, and private citizens alike.
The forum included a roundtable discussion of leading Panamian experts on press freedom, including newspaper editors, directors of radio and television, as well as representatives from human rights organizations, journalist groups, and UNESCO. The delegation also met with deans, professors and students at the major universities of Panama. The final activity included visits to the newsrooms of all major newspapers in Panama, in order to present large copies of the Declaration of Chapultepec to hang in the newsrooms to allow journalists to read the Ten Principles and use in their daily work.
The objectives of the forum were: (1) to promote the principles of the Declaration of Chapultepec; (2) to compare Panamanian laws to the ten principles of Chapultepec advocating the elimination of restrictions to press freedom where they exist; and (3) to develop strategies to make the local laws more compatible with the the Declaration of Chapultepec.
The IAPA delegation left Panama with a commitment from newspaper editors to form a unified group in lobbying for the elimination of legal restrictions that currently exist in Panama legislation. IAPA President Fascetto stated, "The IAPA will assist in any means possible when called upon by the media leaders of Panama." This includes possibly presenting a resolution during the organizations upcoming General Assembly in Houston, Texas, in October.
The National Forum on the Declaration of Chapultepec was hosted by the following newspapers: El Heraldo, El Panamá-América, El Siglo, El Universal, La Estrella de Panamá, and La Prensa.
The IAPA is organizing similar forums in Ecuador (August 3-5) and Argentina (September 6-8). If you would like more information on these events, please contact the IAPA headquarters at (305) 634-2465, or visit their website at http://www.sipiapa.org.