UNESCO at France’s national conference of local radio

The “On air with rural women” exhibition was solicited for display at the conference organized by the National Confederation of Local Radio (CNRA) in Paris, France. Serving as a testimony to the positive effects of local radio on gender equality, the exhibition shows participants how the inclusion of women and their voices on-air can help develop trust and respect for diversity of opinion.

To mark the 25th annual meeting of the CNRA, the organization will convene at the École Supérieure de Journalisme (ESJ) for the 13 and 14 June 2019. The conference will bring together members, journalists, students and other participants to interact over a broad range of topics related to local radio – with a special focus on women this year.

“It’s where gender equality meets freedom of expression,” said Mirta Lourenço, Chief of Media Development at UNESCO. “Having women as reporters, technicians and correspondents can help listeners connect with and reflect on a wider range of standpoints and issues of concern. Local radio helps develop a just culture of inclusiveness.”

The history of the École Supérieure de Journalisme makes it particularly fitting as a location for the exhibition. Founded by Jeanne Weill in the wake of the famous Alfred Dreyfus case, the ESJ is proclaimed as the world’s first journalism school where students must learn the importance of objectivity and independence in their reporting, as well as other fundamental knowledge.

Derived from the recent “Empowering Local Radio with ICTs” project, the exhibition puts together audio, video and visual materials to represent some of the best gender-related outcomes. By training local radio staff from 59 stations and 10 African countries, local radio was especially important in giving rural women the opportunity to participate in public debate and express themselves.

This initiative is part of UNESCO’s Communication and Information Programme and is aligned the UN’s sustainable development goal 5 to achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls.

To participate in this event, please register here.

For more information on this initiative, contact Léa Nacache at l.nacache@unesco.org.