“Yes We Must”: Gender Equality in the Media by 2030

Monday February 16, 2015

Dates: 8 March – 3 May 2015

Region: Worldwide

women_media_by_Kraising_BoonyarangkavornUNESCO has just launched Women Make the News 2015 (WMN), the annual initiative to promote gender equality in media content and staffing.

Within the programme Global Alliance on Media and Gender (GAMAG), editors-in-chief of newspapers, radio, television, and online media are encouraged to produce special supplements or programmes on these topics, and to entrust women journalists and reporters with editorial responsibility for the duration of the WMN initiative – from 1 March to 5 May, encompassing the International Women’s Day (8 March) and the World Press Freedom Day (3 May).

This year’s theme, “Yes we must!  Reaching Gender Equality in the Media by 2030,” is an echo of Women Make the News 2014, Advancing Global Partnerships to Achieving Gender Equality in and through Media. UNESCO and its partners, including the Media Diversity Institute (MDI) are determined to keep up the momentum started by the Global Alliance on Media and Gender and to highlight gender and media in the Beijing+20 Review process.

This year, on 8 March, the Special International Gender and Media Side Event of the 59th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women will be “Empower Women, Empower Humanity – Picture it!”

The WMN 2015 is striving to push for change thorough specific goals such as to promote an increase in female sources interviewed in the news to at least 30%; to invite international development organizations and private corporations to pledge to be a part of a donor framework to support the activities of GAMAG; to strengthen cooperation with our media partners and their role in GAMAG; to shine the spotlight on the necessity of partnerships to achieve the objectives of the Media and Gender critical area of concern of the Beijing Declaration.

Upcoming events:

  • World Radio Day on 13 February 2015;
  • Special International Gender and Media Side Event of the 59th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women (Beijing+20) in March 2015;
  • World Press Freedom Day, 2-4 May 2015
  • Celebration of the 20th Anniversary of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action in September 2015;
  • First General Assembly of GAMAG in November 2015
  • And the on-going 70th Anniversary Celebration of UNESCO