New York: A top UN official has asked the Nepal government to enshrine guarantee of freedom of expression and access to information in the new constitution the country would soon write.

In his message on the occasion of World Press Freedom Day, Richard Bennett of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCR) in Nepal, said all Nepalis, including journalists, would be empowered only if these rights are guaranteed by the constitution.

Bennett stressed the important role of the media in a country like Nepal, which is recovering from a decade-long civil war that claimed an estimated 13,000 lives until the Government and Maoist rebels signed a peace accord in 2006.

"In a post-conflict society such as Nepal, where tensions are sometimes high and challenges remain to human rights, governance, development and durable peace, the media plays an even more central role where accuracy and depth of reporting is especially crucial," stated Bennett, who also heads the human rights unit of the UN Mission in Nepal.

OHCHR plans to conduct a workshop for journalists next month on the media's role in reporting on the Constituent Assembly elections, including the drafting of a new constitution.

Bennett noted that the activities of media "are not without controversy" as the April 10 polls demonstrated. In general the media did its job of reporting in a balanced and responsible manner, he added.
Source : PTI