OSCE Chairpersonship and participating States highlight safety of women journalists at Ministerial Council side event

On 1 December, OSCE Chairman-in-Office, Minister of Foreign Affairs of North Macedonia Bujar Osmani and 45 OSCE participating States issued a joint statement at a Ministerial Council (MC) side event with OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media (RFoM) Teresa Ribeiro on the safety of women journalists.

"Recognizing the essential role of media freedom, pluralism, and the diversity of voices in enabling and sustaining democracy and comprehensive security, it is imperative that States intensify their efforts to safeguard the rights and safety of journalists. With nearly three-quarters of women journalists experiencing online violence in their work, increased collaborative efforts are urgently needed to address the safety of women journalists, both online and offline,” the statement reads.

"Progress can only be achieved through inclusivity. Throughout our Chairpersonship, we reinforced this message by mainstreaming gender equality in all our activities and in particular during our Conference on Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment in Tetovo in September,” said OSCE Chairman-in-Office Osmani. "The precise purpose of today’s side-event, which we are organizing with RFoM’s support, is to spotlight this important topic which is increasingly prevalent and thus requires closer attention and joint action,” he added.

“Let us never forget that the safety of women journalists is not only a matter of individual well-being, but one of collective concern and of a collective responsibility. When they are targeted, it is not just an attack on them as individuals but on the very essence of media freedom and our democracy. Together, we stand united in our attempt to ensure that every voice is heard and respected in the pursuit of peace and security across the OSCE region,” said the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Teresa Ribeiro.

With this joint statement, participating States reinforce their pledge to condemn acts of online violence against women journalists as one of the gravest modern threats to both their safety and the freedom of the media. Their goal is to comprehensively enhance journalists' safety by allocating the necessary human and financial resources to combat online violence targeting women in the field of journalism. The joint statement emphasizes the need for enhanced state collection, analysis, and reporting, and calls for strengthened mutual co-operation to foster an inclusive, gender-responsive, and whole-of-society approach.

The Chairman-in-Office and the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media call on all participating States to increase efforts to champion both media freedom and gender equality across the OSCE region.

The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media observes media developments in all 57 OSCE participating States. She provides early warning on violations of freedom of expression and media freedom and promotes full compliance with OSCE media freedom commitments. Learn more at www.osce.org/fom, Twitter: @OSCE_RFoM and on www.facebook.com/osce.rfom.