ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Rudaw Media Network and United Nations Populations Fund (UNFPA) signed an agreement in Erbil on Thursday, formally establishing a partnership between the two organizations, with the aim of training women from the Kurdistan Region and Iraq to work in the media.
Rudaw Media Network CEO Ako Mohammed and Deputy Representative of UNFPA Garik Hayrapetyan signed the agreement on the premises of Rudaw’s research center, in front of Rudaw journalists, members of Erbil’s international diplomatic community, including Dutch Consul General Jaco Beerends and Acting Consul General of the US Pamela Hack, as well as representatives of local non-governmental organization Social Educational Economic Development (SEED) Foundation.
SEED will support the partnership between Rudaw and UNFPA by providing theoretical expertise related to the UNFPA mandate which will be reflected in the project.
“Increasing the number of active women journalists can serve as a powerful example and motivation for advancing women’s roles in all sectors. It will also ensure that women’s issues and achievements gain more media coverage and public support,” said Mohammed.
“This partnership marks a significant step towards societal equality and an important area of work,” he added.
This is the first such agreement between a UN agency and a media organization in the country.
The partnership will concretize into the “Basics of Journalism” project, an initiative aimed at empowering and educating young girls and women interested in the field of journalism to pursue a career in the media, and implemented by UNFPA.
According to a gender analysis of the media landscape in Iraq published by international media support nonprofit organization Internews in 2020, women pursuing careers in the media in the country often face societal disapproval due to concerns regarding working hours and the need to travel and interact with men, among other elements. Moreover the analysis found that the audience’s response to on-screen portrayal of women is influenced by traditional notions of women’s roles.
“This will change the perception of gender in the society that women and girls can be leading in areas like journalism, bringing news and being champions and opinion leaders,” added Hayrapetyan, who stressed that in addition to professional skills training, participants in the program will be trained on topics related to UNFPA mandate areas such as reproductive health, gender- based violence (GBV), gender youth empowerment, international conference of population and development and SDGs.
The program, the first phase of which will receive financial support from the Iraqi Bank League, seeks to not only increase the numbers of women in the field of journalism in the Kurdistan Region and Iraq, but also, by doing so and hence bringing women’s voices at the forefront of the media narrative, also effectively improve the quality of reporting on women-related subjects.
