The conference coincided with the International Day for the Universal Access to Information (IDUAI) as recognized by the United Nations.

Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe inaugurated the event. Ambassador of Norway to Sri Lanka and Maldives Thorbjørn Gaustadsæther said the Colombo Declaration has been the road-map to establish Sri Lanka Press Institute in 2003 with the financial support of Norway, Sweden and Denmark.

He said that the Norwegian Embassy is proud of its strong, decades-long relationship with SLPI.Two prominent journalists from Norway, Liv Ekeberg and Eva Stabell, are among the international speakers at the event.