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Strengthening a Gender-Sensitive Media Environment in the Maldives

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UNESCO Headquarters, Maldives - 22nd March 2022

The South Asia Foundation (SAF), in partnership with UNESCO’s International Programme for the Development of Communication (IPDC), successfully completed the project "Strengthening a Gender-Sensitive Media Environment in the Maldives". The project was co-funded, with SAF contributing USD 10,000. Its impact was highly appreciated by stakeholders, notably the Maldives Ministry of Gender, Family and Social Services.

Key Activities and Outputs

  1. Training and Sensitization
  2. Gender-Sensitive Guidelines
  3. Media Regulation on Gender
  4. Content Creation and Distribution
    • Journalists, media personnel, leadership, and trainers were educated on positive journalism and the importance of gender-balanced workplaces.
    • An MoU was signed with Delhi Metropolitan Education (India) to facilitate a Training of Trainers (ToT) program.
    • 4 journalists/writers were trained under the ToT program with a panel of experts from various universities.
    • A one-week training session was organized in Malé City, attended by 30 participants, including journalists, policymakers, media influencers, media authorities, and officials from the Ministry of Gender, Family and Social Services.
    • Participants were introduced to the gender-sensitive guidelines developed under a prior IPDC project.
    • An inaugural meeting with the Gender Ministry and media stakeholders was held to promote awareness of the guidelines and tools to assess gender quality in media content.
    • A new media regulation on gender endorsed by the Ministry of Gender, Family and Social Services was introduced.
    • A monitoring plan was developed to assess media content three times annually, evaluating the impact of gender sensitivity training.
    • Participants were guided on creating gender-sensitive media content and advertising.
    • Gender-Sensitive Guidelines were printed and distributed to all media outlets in the Maldives.

Key Outputs

  • 4 journalists trained as trainers under the ToT program.
  • 30 participants trained on gender-sensitive media practices.
  • 30 individuals trained on analyzing gender sensitivity in media and advertising content.
  • Gender-Sensitive Guidelines were distributed nationwide to media outlets.

Outcomes

  1. The Ministry of Gender, Family and Social Services became an official partner in the project, supporting its implementation and future expansion.
  2. The UNRCO-Maldives proposed to expand the media training in 2022 to other regions with EU funding, building on the success of this project.
  3. The project was successfully co-funded with a contribution of USD 10,000 from the South Asia Foundation.

This initiative has set a foundation for promoting gender sensitivity in media across the Maldives, ensuring its sustained growth and positive impact on society.

 

Source: Maldives-Gender Sensitive Media Final Report