"SUPPORTING GENDER EQUALITY AND WOMEN'S PARTICIPATION IN DECISION-MAKING LEVEL" PROJECT IS ONGOING

The MCM promotes responsible, ethical, and pluralistic media and cooperates on the project within the framework of ensuring gender equality in media content, the development of gender-sensitive journalism, and the avoidance of stereotypes. The following activities have been implemented in the first quarter of 2022.
 

“SENSITIVE REPORTING ON POLITICS” editorial training organized

An editorial training for journalists on “Sensitive Reporting on Politics” was organized for the Ikon.mn online newssite on January 6th.
  
At the beginning of the training, participants discussed the value of journalism, and D.Munkhchimeg, an independent advisor to the MCM, and A.Ariuntuya, a project coordinator, gave a presentation on “gender balance and removing gender stereotypes in order to produce journalistic pieces that ensure quality and ethics.



The training continued with a discussion on the BBC's diversity, participation plans and opportunities for Mongolian newsrooms to cooperate as partners in the “50/50” initiative. In particular, the BBC examined the case of how an organization is evolving to become a more participatory and modern organization. The 50/50 project is one of the initiatives that efforts to balance gender in its every work in order to remain a trusted and loyal organization not only within the newsroom but also in front of the public.
 
A.Nyam-Ulzii, the journalist at Ikon.mn website, said that he/she pays attention to ensuring gender balance for his/her journalistic pieces after participating in several events of “Sensitive reporting” union during the discussion. Regarding the training, R.Oyuntsetseg, editor-in-chief of Ikon.mn website, said: For us who always race against the time in order to report on happenings, the training was fruitful. Especially for journalists who represent the public and influence decision-making on all fronts, it was valuable training that highlighted the importance of ensuring gender balance.

Training for journalists from local areas

The training on “Promoting Gender Equality in Media Content” for journalists from 21 provinces was organized in cooperation with the Local Media Association and the Local Television Association. The training was held on January 12 and 14, respectively, in Ulaanbaatar and Dornogovi province.
 
A total of 50 journalists and editors from western, eastern, Khangai and central regions of Mongolia participated in these training. During the training, we discussed why we need gender lenses, ensuring gender balance of sources, stereotypes in the content of journalism, the consequences of hate speech, women's participation in decision-making, and making this topic a media agenda.



The head of the Local Media Association, S.Sharavdorj said that increasing gender equality and supporting women's participation in decision-making has been a pressing issue in our country for many years. It is one of the issues that is talked about at all levels, but nothing improved or progressed. Therefore, the main result of the training was the opportunity to understand the role of local journalists.
 
After the training, Ch.Bayarsaikhan, head of the Local Television Association, shared his impressions: When there is a talk about increasing women's participation at the decision-making level, people usually understand it as only increasing the number of women politicians. But if we see it in the big picture, it's about increasing women's participation in social development. By attending the training, local journalists’ roles are important to eliminate social stereotypes about women and disseminate the effectiveness of women's role and participation in political and social development through the media to the public.

“Political parties and equal start" meeting and discussion were organized

The draft Law on Political Parties, which is scheduled to be submitted to the Parliament’s spring session, addresses important issues such as ensuring that the party's internal organization is in line with democratic principles and ensuring transparency in investment, financing and spending. The “Sensitive Reporting” union organized a journalists’ meeting of “POLITICAL PARTIES AND EQUAL START” to exchange views on how to ensure equal opportunities at the starting line for women and men politicians in the revised draft law.



On Monday, February 21st, the discussion took place from 10:30 to 12:00 at the National Legal Institute of Mongolia. MP Ts.Munkhtsetseg presented the draft law on political parties, while D.Enkhtsetseg, Governance Program Manager of the Open Society Forum, presented research-based information on "Political party financing during the elections".

Under the theme “Political Parties and Equal Start”, we aim to address the challenges of reforming the legal environment to make political parties gender-sensitive.

"Sensitive Reporting on Politics" journalism scholarship program implemented

The “Sensitive Reporting” union announced the “Sensitive Reporting on Politics” Scholarship Program to strengthen journalists' and editors' professional skills and ethics and support pluralistic reporting of political information. The program lasted from January 21st to March 1st, 2022, in two phases: basic training and scholarships for journalistic content.



The program was attended by journalists and freelancers interested in promoting pluralism and making journalistic materials on political issues from print and online media, radio, and television. A total of 15 participants received scholarships for their journalistic content, viewed on the Sensitive reporting Facebook page or here.