The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) has commended today the Federation of African Journalists (FAJ) and the African Union for committing to support the UNiTE Campaign to End Violence Against Women in Africa.

“This campaign is about our lives and our societies; the media organisations should empower the newsrooms and reporters who have been covering gender and gender base violence”. Said Beth Costa, General Secretary of the IFJ.

The UN Campaign UNiTE to End Violence Against Women  was launched in 2008 by the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Ban Ki-moon and will end in 2015. The Africa UNiTE Campaign launched in 2010 rallied the IFJ and the FAJ to support the Africa UNiTE Campaign to End Violence Against Women and Girls.

“The election of a Mrs. Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma as the Chairperson of the African Union by African Heads of States who are predominantly male is one of the most important messages of our times, » said Mrs. Litha Musyimi-Ogana, Director of Women, Gender and Development at the African Union Commission and co-chair of the Campaign.

« The African Union has found it worthwhile to break the glass ceiling and demonstrate its determination to entrench gender equality and women’s empowerment at the centre of  its political transformation..” She added.  

The Committee of the Africa UNiTE Campaign meeting closed today in Abuja, Nigeria at ECOWAS headquarters reviewed the mid-term progress and adopted the work plan of the Africa UNiTE Campaign. The IFJ and FAJ have stressed the commitment of journalists’ organisations in tackling violence against women in Africa.

For more information contact the IFJ: 221 33 867 95 86/87

The IFJ represents more than 600.000 journalists in 134 countries