Proposed by the Palestinian Journalists’ Syndicate (PJS)

The World Congress of the International Federation of Journalists, meeting in Angers, from June 7th-10th 2016,

reaffirming motions on gender passed at successive congresses since the Seoul congress in 2001 setting up policies and campaigns by the Gender Council to promote equality within the IFJ;

applauding the success of the global mid-term Gender Council conference held in Tangier in January 2016 on the theme of “Gender and women – women taking the lead” which drew up a new road map to re-organise the mission and work of the Gender Council in all the IFJ regions;

believing that during these times of crisis, the strengthening of the ability of women journalists to contribute at all levels of the IFJ is of crucial importance to all the unions and regions;

applauding that, in affiliate unions such as the Palestinian Journalists’ Syndicate, strong campaigns by women activists have resulted in a massive culture change within unions and an increased representation of women at all levels of the union’s structure;

regretting that the IFJ leadership did not allocate sufficient resources to the work on gender, making it difficult for the Gender Council to implement its working programme and to continue assisting unions to develop initiatives that strengthen their women members;

reaffirming its main policies to campaign to end all forms of inequality, such as reducing the gender pay gap and highlighting its causes, equalising opportunities and improving conditions for women journalists, tackling the under-representation of women in unions structures, ensuring that women’s issues/concerns are collectively articulated and actioned;

Congress therefore instructs the Executive Committee to:

1. continue to give its full support to the campaigns and initiatives of the Gender Council. It is crucial that in time of financial difficulties the work by IFJ women is not the first to be downgraded;
2. ensure that the IFJ offices in all the regions support the emerging regional structures and implement mainstreaming at their conferences and workshops;
3. urge the IFJ project office to include in its fund-raising effort specific projects to help affiliates and regions undertake initiatives to develop this work.  

Carried unanimously