As part of its membership in the Coalition for Media Freedom, and in support of the “Journalists Matter” campaign, the Belgian Federal Public Service Foreign Affairs co-organized an awareness-raising event on 27/11/2024 in Brussels for a professional audience (international organizations, professional journalists, diplomats) on the theme “Media freedom under pressure in the digital age: a gender perspective”.

Among the invited panelists, Ms. Charlotte Michils, Secretary General of the Flemish Association of Journalists (VVJ) was able to share the experience of professional journalists in Belgium while Ms. Urška Umek, Head of the Democratic Institutions and Civil Society Division within the General Secretariat of the Council of Europe, participated to highlight the efforts made within the framework of the “Platform to strengthen the protection of journalism and the safety of journalists” and the “Journalists Matter” campaign.

The panel discussions led participants to reflect on the impact of technology on the safety of journalists in Europe and on gender-based violence against women journalists and media workers.