IFJ Gender council elects its new Steering Committee

Newly appointed members of the International Federation of Journalists'(IFJ) Gender Council have elected their new board  for the 2022-2025 term. 

Maria Ángeles Samperio - Reelected IFJ Gender Council President

The Gender Council is the main IFJ's voice on gender and the instrument to guide the federation's projects and policy concerning gender. 

Its objectives consist of engaging women and men equally in all IFJ affairs, at all levels of the organisation and its member unions, advising the Executive Committee and member unions on proposals for policy, projects and actions needed to bring gender issues into the mainstream of IFJ's work, promoting solidarity and support among IFJ's affiliates in the defence of gender rights, and combating all forms of gender discrimination.

The Council is a non-political group that meets in person at IFJ's World  Congress and during its mid term meeting. 

The newly appointed body is composed of 37 representatives of IFJ journalists' unions and associations across the world. It has elected its board, the Gender Council Steering Committee, in the course of a one-week online voting process.

Maria Angeles Samperio, from FAPE, Spain was re-elected as the Chairperson and Syrian journalist Raida Waqqaf from SJU, becomes the new Vice Chair while Beatriz Pérez Sanchez from SCPR, Costa Rica was stays on as the Council's Secretary.

Gender Council newly elected Steering committee members include: 

Patricia Hanou Adjisseku (UJIT - Togo) and Kadiatou Thierno Diallo (AJG, Guinea) for Africa

Nani Afrida (AJI - Indonesia) and Samim Sultana Ahmed (IJU - India) for Asia Pacific

Christos Christophides (UCJ, Cyprus) and Manuela Bermudez (CFDT, France) for Europe

Adriana Hurtado (FECOLPER, Colombia) and Samira de Castro Cunha (FENAJ, Brazil) for Latin America

Nazakat Hussein (KJS, Iraqi Kurdistan) and Amal Toman (PJS - Palestine) for the Middle East and Arab World

Demetria Wambia (NWU, USA) and Jennifer Moreau (UNIFOR, Canada) for North America

Gender Council chair María Ángeles Samperio thanked Council members for her re-election and welcomed all the members of the Council. "We have a broad programme of work ahead of us for the coming years with the aim of advancing equality between women and men journalists and strengthening the presence of women both in management positions in the media and in unions and organisations that are part of the IFJ," said Samperio. "Fighting harassment, especially on social networks; combating job insecurity and ending the gender pay gap are some of the issues that have been on the agenda for some time and remain a priority," Samperio asks for the support of IFJ colleagues "to advance equality and protect the lives and health of women journalists around the world to freely exercise their profession.

The Gender Council will meet for the first time during the IFJ Congress in Oman on May 31. 

For more information, please contact IFJ on +32 2 235 22 16

The IFJ represents more than 600,000 journalists in 146 countries

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