Media

ARTICLE 19 has published a checklist designed for civil society organisations who wish to conduct analyses of the implementation status of the African Union's Declaration of Principles on Freedom of Expression in Africa. The checklist intends to allow civil society organisations working on issues relating to freedom of expression and access to information to establish the key obstacles to the fulfilment and protection of freedom of expression. According to the publishers, the checklist interprets each article of the Declaration in a comprehensive manner, providing details on how freedom of expression should be fulfilled and provided for. The checklist can be used for researching and writing "shadow reports" to be submitted to the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights.

This package was produced as part of the training component of UNESCO's Media Development Project in Mozambique. The overall objective of the UNESCO project is to strengthen the human and technical capacity of the media - especially the independent and private media - in Mozambique. This is part of the process of enhancing democracy, good governance and human rights in the country while promoting professionalism and editorial independence. The training package therefore addresses only one aspect of this process. Its overall objective is to ensure the furtherance of more gender sensitive media reporting at a time of great social change in Mozambique and other parts of southern Africa.

Media development organisations have the opportunity, through the kind of work they do and topics they cover, to lead by example in showing that gender is intrinsic to free speech, citizen participation, and progressive media practice and content.

This report covers progress made by Gender Links as the lead agency for the policy arm of the Media Action Plan on HIV/AIDS and Gender. It begins with a general overview followed by country reports. Attached at Annex A is a list of the country facilitators for the MAP policy roll out and their contact information. Attached at Annex B is a composite plan for the roll out in each country for 2007/2008, showing how facilitators plan to complete work started as well as approach new media houses to achieve the MAP target of eighty percent of all media houses in the region having HIV and AIDS and Gender policies by the end of 2008.

Slowly, but effectively, the Internet is empowering women in Africa to follow events as they have never witnessed before. The latest case in point is the women in Somalia who have been following their country's peace talks in neighbouring Kenya via Internet usage.