Ahead of the G7 summit on the situation in Afghanistan, we, the undersigned organizations, call on G7 countries to make a clear and explicit commitment to taking journalists and media workers as an urgent and immediate priority, ensure their protection and evacuate them and their families. 

We ask that G7 members:

1.    Make an explicit commitment to evacuate all journalists, media workers and media advocates at risk, and their families
2.    Ease visa restrictions for all Afghan journalists, media workers, media advocates and their families seeking asylum
3.    Simplify and secure the process for visa application, and collaborate with third countries when possible
4.    Provide safe passage to and at the airport and other routes
5.    Remain in Kabul in order to secure the airport and the possibility to evacuate beyond the 31 August deadline
6.    Create an emergency fund for Afghan journalists and media workers
7.    Provide pathways for cash to enter in the country
8.    Repurpose development budget lines to address the emergency situation
9.    Coordinate efforts within the United Nations system for immediate support
10.  At the 26 August special session of the Human Rights Council, call for the establishment of an independent monitoring and investigative mechanism that is adequately staffed and resourced

The full list of recommendations can be downloaded in the pdf ANNEX 
 

Signed by:

ACOS Alliance; Alliance for Journalists' Freedom; ARTICLE 19; Association of European Journalists (AEJ); Association for International Broadcasting; Association of Freelance Journalists (Kenya); Canadian Association of Journalists (CAJ); Canadian Journalism Forum on Violence and Trauma; Canadian Journalists for Free Expression (CJFE); Centre for Freedom of the Media (CFOM); Committee to Protect Journalists; Coalitiion for Women in Journalism (CFWIJ); Dart Centre Asia Pacific; Dart Center for Journalism and Trauma; DW Akademie, Deutsche Welle; English PEN; Ethnovision; European Broadcasting Union (EBU); European Centre for Press; Media Freedom; European Federation of Journalists (EFJ); Freedom House; Free Press Unlimited; The Frontline Club; The Frontline Freelance Register; Global Forum for Media Development (GFMD); The GroundTruth Project; Guardian News and Media; IFEX; Human Rights Watch; International Center for Journalists (ICFJ); International Media Support; International News Safety Institute (INSI); International Women’s Media Foundation (IWMF); International Federation of Journalists (IFJ); International Press Institute (IPI); Internews; James W. Foley Legacy Foundation; Journalists for Human Rights (JHR); Maharat Foundation; Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA); Overseas Press Club of America; Overseas Press Club Foundation; Pakistan Press Foundation (PPF); PEN America; PEN Canada; PEN Club Francais; PEN Germany; PEN Japan; PEN International; Public Media Alliance; Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting; Reporters Without Borders (RSF); Rory Peck Trust; Samir Kassir Foundation; South African National Editors Forum (SANEF); The Signals Network; Storyhunter VII; AgencyVII Foundation; Women Photograph; World Association of News Publishers (WAN-IFRA)