The event focused on the priority theme, ‘Accelerating the achievement of gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls by addressing poverty and strengthening institutions and financing with a gender perspective’.

For the second consecutive year, IFJ Gender Council chair María Ángeles Samperio represented the federation’s interests in the discussions. These included more equality at work and equal access for women in newsrooms’ decision-making positions, artificial intelligence that does not deprive journalists of their work and reflects gender equality in its use, and journalist unions’ vital engagements with global unions, including the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC).

María Ángeles Samperio gave a powerful speech during the interactive discussion on ‘Artificial Intelligence to Advance Gender Equality: Challenges and Opportunities’ (here). The message highlighted IFJ’s commitment to create digital spaces that are inclusive, and free from sexism and misogyny.

The outcomes of CSW included recommendations about the need to mobilise financial resources from public and private sources, to ensure that national budgeting processes always keep a gender-lensed approach, thus preventing disproportionate and harmful taxation on women.

Other key achievements of the event included the IFJ teaming up with its US affiliate, the National Writers Union (NWU), for a session on ‘Digital Communication Rights: Empowering Women in the Digital Age'. This called for space to amplify marginalised voices. 

“The Agreed Conclusions recognized that women and girls living in poverty become ‘shock absorbers’ in times of crisis, and that further efforts are needed to increase resources to address women’s and girls’ poverty,” stated UN Women.

As a global voice for media workers, IFJ has reaffirmed its commitment to advocate for gender equality issues, striving for a more inclusive, fair, democratic, and equal workplace for women worldwide.