A/66/313 organizations were essential to the functioning of free and fair societies in which anyone, irrespective of his or her ethnicity, religion, gender, politics or sexual identity, had the right to object to inequality or mistreatment and to seek justice and redress. 58. On 17 September 2010, in anticipation of the High-level Plenary Meeting on the Millennium Development Goals, the Special Rapporteur issued a joint press release on the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals, 11 in which he noted that significant progress had been made on the achievement of a number of Millennium Development Goals, but much more needed to be done. A focus on human rights was needed to tackle the structural problems, at both national and international levels, that underpinned and sustained the poverty and underdevelopment whose effects the Millennium Goals tried to alleviate. He emphasized that the Goals were laudable political commitments and had been useful in mobilizing money and energy, but States could achieve those Goals sustainably only if they were guided by human rights obligations that defined which actions should be taken, and by whom. Furthermore, the Special Rapporteur stressed that good governance and the rule of law at national and international levels were critical. C. Seminars and consultations 59. On 30 November 2010, the Special Rapporteur held an expert consultation in Geneva on the theme “Equality, non-discrimination and diversity: challenge or opportunity for the mass media?”. That discussion brought together 12 experts with work experience in mass media organizations with a global outreach, as well as the Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression and the Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief. In terms of their professional backgrounds, the 12 experts included a newspaper editor, television anchor, foreign correspondent, wire reporter, online blogger, head of newsgathering and representatives of an umbrella organization of journalists, an international human rights organization, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization and the Alliance of Civilizations. As part of the discussion, two specific cases studies were analysed, i.e., the media coverage of recent plans to burn copies of the Koran 12 and the challenges of reporting on postelectoral conflicts in an ethnically divided country. 13 The Special Rapporteur learned more about the decision-making processes within the different mass media organizations and the conditions for making their day-to-day judgement calls, adhering to the key principles of professionalism and independence. The experts highlighted several challenges faced by mass media, for example, the increasingly competitive nature of the industry and the need to provide news around the clock, coupled with a global and evolving media landscape. Drawing on their work, the experts also reflected upon existing initiatives and guidelines used by mass media __________________ 11 12 13 16 The full text of the press release is available from www.ohchr.org/en/NewsEvents/Pages/ DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=10344&LangID=E. See also the allegation letter of the Special Rapporteurs dated 8 September 2010 (A/HRC/17/40/Add.1, paras. 149-155). See www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=2122&LangID=E. 11-45818