On 10-11 November 2023, the Donbas Media Forum 2023 was held in Kyiv in an offline format.
The Donbas Media Forum (DMF) is an annual conference founded by the media organisation DII-Ukraine in 2015. It gathers Ukrainian and foreign journalists, experts, media managers, teachers, and students to discuss current challenges in the field of journalism.
Last year, the Forum didn't take place due to Russia's full-scale aggression against Ukraine. This year, despite constant air alerts, 683 representatives of the media community from almost all regions of Ukraine took part in 33 panel discussions.
The Council of Europe Project “Safeguarding Freedom of Expression and Freedom of Media in Ukraine”, which is implemented in the framework of the Council of Europe Action Plan for Ukraine “Resilience, Recovery and Reconstruction” for the period of 2023-2026, supported 5 panels dedicated to the law "On Media", the safety of journalists during the war, the documentation of war crimes, the journalism education and the work of regional media and their co-operation with international journalists.
Erlend Falch, Deputy Head of the Council of Europe Office, noted at the opening of the Forum:
«The role of free, independent, professional, and impartial media is not only crucial for preserving democracy and democratic values but also vital during times of war and conflicts. It helps saving lives by providing people with access to information and contributes to bringing perpetrators of war crimes and other grave human rights violations to justice by documenting the war atrocities.
One month ago, on 5 October in Riga, the Council of Europe officially launched the Campaign for the Safety of Journalists, with a strong focus on national implementation efforts through an established network of national focal points. It is crucial to emphasize that only through the combined efforts of all concerned parties – the Parliament, the Government, the Judiciary, with active engagement from civil society and media stakeholders – can real change be brought to the environment in which you, our esteemed audience, and your peers work day by day. We hope to witness more progress in this regard and a reduction in unpunished crimes against journalists».
Among other co-organisers of the Forum were USAID, the European Union, OSCE, UNESCO, Internews, and other international and Ukrainian organisations and institutions.
