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UNESCO SWAN Women in Media initiative are being held at SAF-India from 3-5 May 2016

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News SAF-India Office, Delhi, India - 19th April 2016

UNESCO-SWAN MEDIA INITIATIVE

SWAN (South Asia Women’s Network) brings together women leaders from nine South Asian countries:  Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. SWAN was established in March 2009 at the Conference on “Women of South Asia : Partners in Development” convened at Jamia Millia Islamia University, New Delhi. SWAN’s vision is to achieve sustainable development for South Asia through an integrated approach incorporating the centrality of women’s agency, voice, participation and leadership. SWAN is an active programme of the South Asia Foundation (SAF-India), New Delhi. 

In 2014, UNESCO-India and SWAN launched a joint initiative titled ‘Women for Change: Building a Gendered Media in South Asia’. The initiative has three principal objectives. First, to develop tools and knowledge products, including a gender policy or common minimum standards for adoption by media houses in the region. Second, to build the capacity of women journalists to mainstream gender in reporting, and to sensitise editors and gatekeepers about the need for gender‐sensitive reporting. Third, to strengthen the network of women media practitioners across South Asia. 

The first regional consultations under the UNESCO SWAN Women in Media initiative are being held at SAF-India from 3-5 May 2016. The regional consultations will seek to develop gender-sensitive media indicators and standards, that will target women journalists, media owners, editors and policymakers. The exercise will also include the development of:

  • A baseline survey to identify the status of women media practitioners in South Asian countries, and bases for monitoring and evaluation
  • A methodology for advocating the adoption of the indicators and standards
  • A roadmap for measuring annual progress and achievements
  • A mechanism for implementing the initiative in South Asian countries