2025 is a year of notable international anniversaries. This past Saturday, March 8, was the 50th anniversary of International Women’s Day being held on that date. (The commemoration of women’s day itself goes back over a hundred years ago.)
In July, the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) will have its 20-year review – grappling with the actions needed to address the opportunities and the abuses that have come with the digital transformation.
2025 is also the 30th anniversary of the Beijing Platform for Action, the outcome of the Fourth World Conference on Women.
In Section J of this landmark document, “governments and other entities pledged to take specific actions to: (i) Increase the participation and access of women to expression and decision-making in and through the media and new technologies of communication, and, (ii) Promote a balanced and non-stereotyped portrayal of women in the media.”
On March 3, the Global Alliance on Media and Gender (GAMAG) released a stark statement:
“If the current status quo is left unchallenged, the likely outcomes are clear: 30 years after Beijing, progress towards gender equality will be reversed.”
We are in the midst of a perfect storm, an attack at political, economic and cultural levels that has decimated financial support for public interest and community media as well as super-charged the backlash against policies and practices that support equality and diversity.
When words and concepts about “gender” and “equality” are removed and even banned, we know we face an unprecedented challenge to strengthen our call for rights and justice.
The GAMAG statement calls on individuals, organizations and governments to:
- Ensure that women-led civil society organizations have the resources and support they need to continue their work.
- Resist the erasure of gender equality and equity language from public discourse and hold media accountable for perpetuating harmful stereotypes.
- Defend media freedom and the rights of journalists, particularly women, to work without fear of retaliation.
- Speak out against policies and decisions that threaten women’s rights and freedom of expression everywhere and across all media.
In such a time of upheaval, it is all the more important that we recommit to our principles of justice and human rights, that we stand together, and that we support each other. When this can happen, not only is progress not lost, but our hope for gender equality that brings benefits to all can continue to grow and one day be realized.
Join GAMAG’s Beijing+30 call to uphold commitments in Section J on “Women and the Media.” You can add your support to the statement as an individual or an organization. For safety and security reasons given the current climate, your name as a signatory will not be published, but the counts will be updated bi-weekly on www.gamag.net.