ARTICLE 19’s international office joins the ARTICLE 19 Office for Mexico and Central America in proudly congratulating Leopoldo Maldonado, its current Regional Director, on his appointment as the United Nations (UN) Special Rapporteur on the Promotion and Protection of the Right to Freedom of Opinion and Expression.
This appointment recognises a career – spanning ARTICLE 19 Mexico and Central America and other civil society organisations – dedicated to defending and promoting freedom of expression, as well as supporting individuals and communities that have faced human rights violations.
The mandate of Special Rapporteur is one of the UN’s key independent mechanisms for promoting and protecting the right to freedom of opinion and expression worldwide. This appointment also recognises the importance of strengthening international protection for this fundamental right.
ARTICLE 19 Mexico and Central America will continue its dedicated work to defend and promote freedom of expression and the right to information, advancing the organisation’s global strategy in collaboration with other offices and teams across Asia, Africa, Europe, and the Americas.
Leopoldo Maldonado will remain as Regional Director while a transition process, led by the Regional Advisory Council, gets underway. Details regarding this process and the institutional adjustments resulting from his appointment will be announced in the coming months.
ARTICLE 19 views this appointment with pride and as a recognition of the collective work it has driven for nearly two decades alongside colleagues, journalists, allied organisations, and communities in the region.