Journalists and editors attending WAN-IFRA’s Second annual Women in News Southeast Asia Summit issued a set of recommendations for the media industry to help improve gender balance and safety for women in the industry. Recommendations focused on two overarching themes: concrete steps to increase women’s leadership and voices in the news, and safety and protection for women journalists.

The first Women in News (WIN) Forum in Egypt took place on May 16 at the Cairo Marriott Hotel, gathering more than 250 media executives, chief editors, media experts and journalists, as well as independent media actors in Egypt. More than 65 Egyptian and Arabic media organizations were represented at the forum.

As part of International Women’s Day celebrations, WAN-IFRA has created the “Gender Reality Check” survey for media houses to take during the month of March. It explores how the management of media houses can increase women’s leadership and voices in the news, and, how we as an industry can collectively promote gender equality.

WIN kick-started the year with a National Gathering and Round Table on gender bias in the media that took place on 16-17 January in Lusaka, Zambia. The event was held in presence of the Zambian Minister of Information and Broadcasting, Hon. Mulenga Kampamba, and generated publicity in local press, radio, and television. The minister’s presence at the meeting in Zambia was not a first time occasion. A similar cooperation with the government has already taken place in Botswana.