Council of Europe Campaign for the Safety of Journalists: National focal points (NFP)
The Campaign is a European wide project. To maximise its impact, coordination is necessary amongst all relevant partners, both with the Council of Europe and among themselves.
The Secretary General of the Council of Europe will formally invite the member States to nominate the person entrusted to act as National Focal Point for the Campaign.
List of National Focal Points >>
Role
In the development of the Campaign, the National Focal Point will act as the interface between the domestic stakeholders entrusted with the ‘national chapter’ of the Campaign and the Council of Europe Secretariat of the Campaign.
The NFP will be expected to share information about concrete initiatives undertaken at national level to the achievement of the Campaign’s goals and, at the same time, to inform corresponding national committees about the outcomes of the exchanges held at European level under the Campaign and facilitate the sharing of good practices.
It is understood that the person appointed as NFP is entrusted by the government with the authority to convey coordinated national information in the interaction with the Council of Europe and relevant partners. The NFP may be or not part of the coordinating structures/leadership of the national committee set up under the campaign. In the latter case, the NFP will need to be in constant dialogue with the national committee and the campaign managing structures.
In assuming this role, the NFP should act in accordance with their domestic legislation and relevant international obligations.
Appointment
The designation and operation of the NFP are at the members States’ discretion. Nevertheless, to ensure that NFPs can successfully fulfil their role, member States are recommended to make the appointment based on criteria such as:
- recognized experience and competence in the relevant field,
- experience in coordinating with national bodies and agencies relevant for the protection journalists’ safety, as well as with associations of journalists and other media actors,
- availability for meetings and communication exchange, and
- knowledge of one of the official working languages of the Council of Europe.
To the extent possible, NFPs should not result in a duplication of other existing authorities designated to the same purpose. To coordinate action and avoid unnecessary overlapping, member States are invited to consider appointing already existing focal points, designated to operate in other networks established to achieve aims similar to that of Council of Europe Campaign.
Coordination and interaction of NFP, the role of the Council of Europe
The Council of Europe will be primarily responsible for launching and coordinating the Campaign, convening annual meetings of the NFPs, facilitating exchanges and dialogue between NFPs and all involved stakeholders as appropriate. These will enable the progress and subsequently the assessment of the development of the Campaign, sharing of best practices and improving mutual trust. The Council of Europe will keep and update the list of designated NFPs and make sure that information is shared promptly as necessary.
The Campaign coordinator and selected officials of the Freedom of Expression and CDMSI Division will be the interface between the Council of Europe and the NFPs. The Council of Europe will also ensure that NFPs are informed about the Organisation’s continued cooperation with relevant regional and international partners.
The first meeting of the NFPs will take place either on the occasion of the official launch of the Council of Europe’s Campaign or immediately after its launch. The aim of this meeting is to facilitate the first contact between the designated NFP and to discuss the basic issues concerning the effective development of the Campaign at national and European level.
Information documents prepared by the Secretariat on NATIONAL FOCAL POINTS and NATIONAL COMMITTEES