The Austrian Commission for UNESCO organizes biennial discussion rounds on current (cultural) political topics at the Radiokulturhaus Wien. In 2019, the series ‘UNESCO in Conversation’ was dedicated to the issue of fundamental rights: On Thu, 14 November 2019, the following engaged in lively discussions with lively audience interest under the moderation of Andrea Thilo: writer Kathrin Röggla, political scientist Naif Bezwan, journalist Tabea Grzeszyk and human rights expert Michael Lysander Fremuth.

Europe has long thought itself safe, brushing aside phenomena of censorship, restrictions or threats to fundamental liberal values such as freedom of the press, artistic freedom or academic freedom. However, developments in recent years show that standards have shifted. Reporters Without Borders, for example, analyzes in its current trend barometer that Europe is the region where the situation of press freedom has deteriorated overall.

UNESCO in conversation took place on Thu, 14 November 2019 at the Radiokulturhaus Wien.