|
 To
mark the International Women’s Day on 8 March,
and to give prominence to the high professionalism
of women journalists, UNESCO’s Director-General,
Koïchiro Matsuura, is launching for the third
time a world-wide Women
Make the News web-based initiative. UNESCO
appeals to all media producing daily news to use
a woman editor-in-chief on that day. We believe
that with initial backing from some of the world’s
leading media, we can make an effective call for
daily newspapers, TV and radio stations and Internet
news services to ensure that a woman editor-in-chief
is in charge of the day’s news.
By
creating the initiative “Women Make the News”
, UNESCO’s Director General, Mr Koichiro
Matsuura, emphasises that the issue of gender
equality must remain at the forefront of each
society’s agenda and the international community
until gender balance is achieved at every level
in the workplace. UNESCO’s appeal for equality
in the media — as in all other spheres —
is a part of the struggle for genuine democracy
in society at large and in media institutions
in particular. It is a matter of human rights.
As long as men and women are not given the possibility
to work together on an equal basis, sharing the
same rights and the same responsibilities, there
is a democratic deficit in our societies.
Through this initiative UNESCO seeks to give more
visibility to women journalists, to their editorial
work, as well as to women as voices in the media.
Mr. Matsuura recalls "that no press is
truly free unless women share an equal voice."
UNESCO’s appeal to the world media is a testing
ground of the progress made in the execution of
the Beijing Platform for Action.
If you agree to be a "partner" organisation,
we kindly ask you to send us a short message of
support with your logo and to disseminate the
information on UNESCO's initiative over the coming
weeks to your network member media organisations.
Each media organisation is free to determine how
it wishes to implement the initiative. A dedicated
interactive website — http://www.unesco.org/march8
— will be operational for registration as
of
20 February, 2004.
For the following three weeks up until 8 March,
media will be encouraged to announce their own
initiatives on the site. It will then also become
a global news resource for media wanting to cover
the event as a story.
With
your help, Women Make the News 2004 aims to support
symbolically women media professionals in attaining
their rightful place in media management. We look
forward to your partnership in this initiative
and we very much hope that you will lend your
support.
Women
make the news 2004 UNESCO initiative
Why
UNESCO has taken this initiative?
Why
UNESCO coordinates Women Make the News?
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