IPS Asia-Pacific's Johanna Son introduces the glossary

MANILA - The need to teach students early about gender-sensitive language. Examples of how media reports pass on prejudices in some stories, and mistake gender blindness for political correctness in others. Some editors and writers’ discomfort with asking frank questions when they hear the word ‘gender’.

These are some of the topics that came up for lively discussion at the August 2010 launch of the third edition of the ‘Gender and Development Glossary’, held at the ISIS Intl conference room in Quezon City, Philippines. A mix of journalists, gender and reproductive health experts, professors and civil society advocates made sure there was a variety of opinions at the discussion around words, gender, language and media that day. Read more »

IPS and Care2 have joined forces to bring online campaigns from leading nonprofit advocacy organizations to readers on IPS news sites. Care2 is a social action network of more than 13 million members committed to making a difference. More than 500 NGO partners including Oxfam America, Greenpeace and Habitat for Humanity target Care2’s activist-minded community to take actions such as signing petitions, sending letters to decision-makers and “clicking” to generate donations to good causes. Read more »

On International Women’s Day, IPS news agency talks to Iranian Nobel Prize Winner Shirin Ebadi and new UNESCO Director General Irina Bokova about their efforts to champion women. Both are in New York, with thousands of others, to review what progress women have made since the landmark Beijing Conference on Women, fifteen years ago.

An international team of IPS reporters is in New York where the U.N. Commission on the Status of Women is meeting to review the Beijing Platform of Action, with the IPS global network contributing local voices and viewpoints. Read more »

December 1, 2009, Inter Press Service (IPS) Africa, with partnership support from UNICEF, today launched a new thematic project to raise the voice and visibility of children and adolescents in the global fight against HIV/AIDS.

The IPS Africa editorial project will include regular uploads of print and radio stories, slideshows and resources for journalists and media covering the pandemic.
“Children remain the hidden face of AIDS and IPS Africa aims to provide a platform for them to tell their stories,” said IPS Africa Regional Director Paula Fray. Read more »

The IPS Support Group Meeting was held on 26 November in Rome, Italy. This year’meeting analysed the role of media in covering issues related to MDG3: Promote gender equality and empower women. IPS has a longstanding commitment to mainstreaming gender and this event is part of its 2009 - 2011 programme of work ‘Communicating for Change: Voice, Visibility and Impact for Gender Equality‘.

The seminar was celebrated during the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Violence (25 November - 10 December) giving voice to journalists and gender experts from around the world who debated on how information and communication contributes to stop violence. Italian vice minister for foreign affairs, Vincenzo Scotti, opened the meeting. Read more »