Nation Media Group has become the first media organization in East and Southern Africa to join UN Women’s Global Media Compact programme.  Launched in 2016 the ‘Step it Up for Gender Equality Media Compact’ partners with media outlets to implement the Sustainable Development Agenda, with a focus on gender equality and women’s rights issues through gender sensitive reporting and increasing the number of women in the media, including in leadership and decision-making roles. UN Women will work with the Nation Media Group to mainstream gender equality and women’s empowerment in the media house by providing technical support to ensure gender sensitive content generation.

Today’s discussion on Kenya’s Gender Dilemma is a continuation of NMG’s agenda to create awareness and spotlight gender issues as part of our mission to positively influence society. These discussions are meant to drive practical solutions to the underlying issues on gender inequality in Kenya and the region. We are glad to partner with the UN Women Global Media Compact Programme as part of our commitment to empower and encourage gender equality across the world. Commented Joe Muganda, Group CEO Nation Media Group

‘Empowering women fuels thriving economies, spurring productivity and growth. Yet gender inequalities remain deeply entrenched in every society. The media has a responsibility to revise these inequalities.   I commend Nation Media Group for showing industry leadership by pledging to champion Women’s rights and gender equality issues, adopting a gender sensitive approach in their reporting, and ensuring that women journalists are supported to advance their careers.   This level of support and leadership from Nation Media Group is what is needed to ensure that we can achieve gender equality and women’s rights by 2030.”  Commented Ms. Zebib Kavuma the Country Representative for UN Women in Kenya.

The partnership was signed during the Nation Leadership Forum, a thought leadership dialogue established by Nation Media Group, on gender held at the University on Nairobi. The forum examined challenges women face in leadership both elective and corporate as well the economic empowerment of women in Kenya.  Participants discussed the gains and losses from the just concluded elections as well as the need to continue championing for more elective and non-elective positions for women in the country. It also discussed the role of women in private sector leadership roles. Why there are few women in decision making positions, the unequal pay gap between women and men, equitable access and ownership of land and property, deepening gender sensitive financial inclusion and access to gender focused social services like maternal health.

Recognizing the influential role media can play in driving women’s empowerment and gender equality, the Step it Up for Gender Equality Media Compact facilitated by UN Women functions as an alliance of media organizations who are committed to playing an active role in advancing gender issues within the framework of the Sustainable Development Goals. The Step It Up Media Compact aims to be a mutually beneficial agreement though which valued media partners are invited to scale up their focus on women’s rights and gender equality issues through high-quality coverage and editorial decisions, complemented by gender-sensitive corporate practices.

By Patterson Siema