Each year, through collaboration and innovation, IFEX finds creative ways to raise awareness of free expression issues, strengthen the power of our network, and bring about real change through targeted campaigns and advocacy work. We've posted some highlights here.

An even stronger alliance in Latin America and the Caribbean

IFEX América Latina y el Caribe (IFEX-ALC) has continued to evolve as a dynamic alliance of 16 IFEX member organisations that challenges the many threats to free expression throughout the region. In 2012, IFEX-ALC was tremendously effective in identifying and acting on key opportunities for strategic advocacy intervention, including:

• lobbying to preserve the mandate of the Organisation of American States (OAS) Special Rapporteur for Freedom of Expression;
• pioneering a new high-profile digital approach to regional reporting by compiling an interactive regional analysis on impunity that was launched to coincide with the International Day to End Impunity;
• building on the success of prior missions to the UN Universal Periodic Review by lobbying at sessions for Argentina, Peru and Guatemala in 2012;
• producing an interactive guide, Strategies for Lobbying at the UN on Freedom of Expression.

A new look, and new on-line publications

Following an intensive planning process, IFEX began rolling out its dynamic new communication products in 2012. IFEX focused on creating new ways to amplify the voices of IFEX members and the network through materials that are engaging to an international, tech-savvy audience, to maximise the impact of IFEX members' work and to better reach and grow the free expression community. Three new on-line publications – the IFEX Daily Digest, IFEX This Week, and the monthly IFEX In Context were all launched in 2012.

A creative, expanded campaign for the International Day to End Impunity

Building on the success of IFEX's inaugural International Day to End Impunity in 2011, we created a 2012 campaign that explored the “culture of impunity” — the underlying factors that contribute to a climate of injustice and insecurity for those practising their right to free of expression. In a significant boost to IFEX's pioneering work on this issue, in his June 2012 report to the UN Human Rights Council, UN Special Rapporteur on free expression Frank La Rue announced his support for the day, pointing out that "impunity is one – if not the main – cause of the unacceptably high number of journalists who are attacked or killed each year."

The 2012 Day to End Impunity campaign featured:

• a short, compelling video highlighting the culture of impunity in English, Spanish, French and Russian;
• an infographic/poster designed to raise awareness of how impunity silences free expression;
• an international editorial cartoon contest, “Draw Attention to Impunity”;
• an online game, “Break the Silence”, available in four languages, designed to educate about the risks and difficult decisions confronted by those trying to express themselves in a culture of impunity
• “23 Actions in 23 Days”, a calendar from 1 to 23 November, each day revealing the story and a call for action on behalf of an individual artist, journalist, musician, cartoonist, activist or blogger who had been threatened, attacked or worse for expressing themselves, and whose persecutors were still unpunished.