The African Women in Media (AWiM) has announced the launch of the UNESCO International Programme for the Development of Communication (IPDC)-funded programme, “TRAKD: Developing Tools and Resources towards adoption of the Kigali Declaration in newsrooms in Africa”.
A press statement by AWiM said, “This two-month programme will be in collaboration with UNESCO under the IPDC framework. Through the IPDC, UNESCO works to create a supportive environment for media development, critical dialogue, and media independence.
“We are pleased to work with UNESCO on this important programme, which aims to strengthen the capacities of media stakeholders on Generative AI and Technology Facilitated Gender Violence (TF-GBV).
“Through it, we will share best practices for adopting the Kigali Declaration on Elimination of Gender Violence in and through Media in Africa by 2034.“ Said Dr Yemisi Akinbobola, Co-founder and CEO of African Women in Media.
According to the statement, “The programme will feature eight in-depth living training sessions with over 60 participants, including journalists (editors, reporters, and producers) and content creators from at least 10 countries.
“Key training areas include: Information Literacy: Raising awareness of Generative AI and TF-GBV, as well as the intersections of gendered violence in these new media forms.
“Capacity Building: Strengthening technical internal and external capacities to combat online and offline violence against women in media.
“Knowledge Sharing: Sharing knowledge of collaborating on best practices and policy implementation against TF-GBV”
The statement fuether noted that, “While technological innovations like ChatGPT offer gains in productivity, UNESCO’s study ‘Your opinion doesn’t matter, anyway’ shows that generative AI has increased the potential avenues for technology facilitated gender-based violence faced by women and girls online.”
AwiM disclosed that, “The programme will kick-off at the African Women in Media conference in Dakar, Senegal on 5-6 December, with a specialised workshop for journalists and content creators.”