By GPC News Desk
Nearly nine in 10 killings of journalists worldwide remain judicially unresolved, as new threats emerge from armed conflicts, drones and digital attacks, UNESCO has warned.
The warning comes as the world marks the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists on November 2, under the theme “Threats Evolve. Impunity Endures.”
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According to highlights from UNESCO’s 2026 Director-General’s Report on the Safety of Journalists and the Danger of Impunity, 189 journalists were killed in violent attacks in 2024 and 2025, with 67 per cent of the killings occurring in conflict zones.
Fifty journalists were killed by unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), commonly known as drones, across six war zones, highlighting the growing use of technology in attacks against media workers.
UNESCO said women journalists face additional risks, including gender-based violence, online abuse and other targeted threats.
The report also reveals a worsening accountability record. For the first time since UNESCO began measuring the global impunity rate in 2012, the rate increased by one percentage point to 86 per cent, leaving almost nine out of every 10 journalist killings unresolved in the judicial system.
However, the report points to some progress in countries not experiencing armed conflict. Journalist killings in these countries fell to 62 in 2024 and 2025, the lowest level in 18 years. Their impunity rate also declined by 17 percentage points to 77 per cent since 2012.
UNESCO said impunity encourages further attacks and undermines entire societies by allowing serious human rights violations, corruption and crime to go unexposed.
The International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists was proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly in 2013 through Resolution A/RES/68/163. November 2 was chosen to commemorate the killing of two French journalists, Ghislaine Dupont and Claude Verlon, in Mali on November 2, 2013.
The global campaign calls on governments, media organisations and civil society to strengthen mechanisms for preventing attacks, protecting journalists at risk and prosecuting those responsible.
UNESCO is also using this year’s commemoration to promote the implementation of the UN Plan of Action on the Safety of Journalists and the Issue of Impunity.
A global event at UNESCO headquarters in Paris will feature the launch of the 2026 report, followed by policy discussions bringing together government representatives, members of the judiciary, law enforcement officers and other stakeholders.
The organisation has urged governments, media and civil society to strengthen accountability so that journalists can carry out their work safely and without fear that attacks against them will go unpunished.
