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US
Advancing Policies for Gender-Safe Media
Advancing Policies for Gender-Safe Media
Meet Our
Founders
AWiM25 focuses on moving beyond pledges to practical action in creating safer, more equitable media spaces for women and youth. In the context of continental instruments like the AU-CEVAWG, the Maputo Protocol, and the Kigali Declaration, the conference will tackle persistent gaps, emerging challenges, and pathways to sustainable policy enforcement.
Who We Are
African Women in Media (AWiM) is an international non-governmental organization working towards gender equality in and through media.
Since its inception in 2016, it has achieved this objective through conducting research, offering capacity-building programmes, fostering strategic partnerships, and driving policy action. AWiM’s multifaceted approach includes its flagship annual conferences, which started in 2017 and have grown to become the most prominent gathering for media practitioners, academics, civil society organisations (CSOs), and policymakers.
About AWiM25
In December 2023, at the AWiM23 conference, the African Women in Media community, led by a representative committee comprising experts from academic, industry and civil society across 14 countries, co-designed the Kigali Declaration on the Elimination of Gender Violence in and through Media in Africa by 2034 (Kigali Declaration). The Kigali Declaration sets out minimum standards for addressing the types of violence experienced by women journalists and how media of all forms represent violence against women and girls. It calls on various stakeholders – media organisations, unions, educational institutions, researchers, funding bodies and regulatory authorities – to adopt and implement its core principles.
Similarly, during the 38th African Union Summit in February 2025, Heads of State and Government adopted the AU’s Convention to End Violence Against Women and Girls (AU-CEVAWG). This landmark, legally binding framework aims to address the root causes of VAWG and drivers by strengthening legal and institutional mechanisms. Promoting a culture of respect for human rights, gender equality, and the dignity of women and girls is central to this collective action, acting as a stimulus for open narrative and advocacy on violence against women and girls.
Both the Kigali Declaration and the AU-CEVAWG highlight the urgent need for media organisations, regulatory bodies, and policymakers to take concrete steps toward ending violence against women in and through media.
The AWiM25 conference, co-hosted with the African Union Commission, with the theme: “Beyond Commitments: Advancing Policies for Gender-Safe Media”, reflects a shared commitment to media development, gender equality, and Agenda 2063.
Expected Outcomes
- Concrete recommendations for integrating gender-sensitive and youth-focused policies into media practices and regulations.
- Enhanced understanding of the AU-CEVAWG, Kigali Declaration, and other relevant frameworks among stakeholders.
- Strengthened partnerships between media, policymakers, civil society organizations, and technology stakeholders to address VAWG and promote gender equality.
- Creation of collaborative platforms for sustained dialogue and advocacy.
- Enhanced capacity of media professionals to incorporate gender-sensitive and youth-focused perspectives into their work.
- Empowerment of women and youth to lead initiatives within media organizations and influence narratives.
- Proposals for leveraging digital tools and technologies to combat cyber violence and amplify gender-sensitive narratives.
- Strategies for building safer digital spaces for women and youth in media.
Roadmap for Monitoring and Accountability
- Establish a roadmap for tracking progress on integrating gender-sensitive and youth-focused frameworks in the media and technology sectors.
- Mechanisms for holding stakeholders accountable for commitments made during the Conference.
This landmark edition will take place at the AU headquarters in
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, from the 4th to the 5th of December, 2025.
See you there!
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