UNESCO Gathers Global Experts on Gender Equality in Media Ahead of Beijing+30

Adopted by 189 countries, the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action remains a key global policy document on gender equality, covering 12 critical areas, including Strategic Objective J on “Women and the Media.” This Objective urges governments, civil society, media, and the private sector to promote gender equality in media representation and leadership. The upcoming Beijing +30 review, mandated by the UN Economic and Social Council resolution 2022/5, will provide the most comprehensive evaluation since the Declaration’s adoption in 1995.

As the UN agency responsible for promoting freedom of expression, access to information, and journalist safety, UNESCO has been actively working to tackle new and pressing challenges related to women in the media in alignment with its Global Priority Gender Equality. 

In line with this mandate UNESCO convened this international expert consultation to review progress made on the advancements on Strategic Objective J, assess its relevance in today’s context and provide recommendations to stakeholders. This agenda is further reinforced through by a recent decision of the Intergovernmental Council of its the International Programme on for the Development of Communication (IPDC). 

The discussions covered issues such as technology-facilitated gender-based violence (TFGBV), AI-driven biases, and the safety of women journalists.