On the first conference day, the most important European standards on gender equality were presented, including Istanbul Convention that was ratified by Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as the Committee of Ministers Recommendation on sexism and gender stereotypes in media. According to Mervi Patosalvi, Gender Advisor within the Council of Europe, even though the member states are integrating into their legal systems the measures set in these instruments, the practical implementation of these measures, meaning the actual protection, is still not satisfactory at the Council of Europe level.
Regarding the gender equality measures within the freedom of expression standards, Urška Umek, the Head of Media and Internet Governance Department, emphasised that Council of Europe instruments of protection require a multi-stakeholder approach, in order for the gender equality protection mechanisms to work. She pointed out the obligations of the states to gender mainstream the legal framework, but also of the media systems to take more proactive approach and develop the self-regulatory framework that will actively promote affirmative actions regarding more gender balanced representation of men and women in media, including the positions of power. She also emphasised the importance of fighting stereotypical presentation of gender roles in media.
The gender equality domestic legal framework, as well as the instruments of gender mainstreaming in media regulatory and self-regulatory systems were also presented. It was concluded by all the panellists, that important improvements are needed in terms of practical implementation of these, available mechanisms. The following two days were reserved for an interactive gender mainstreaming training, that has offered to participants, (journalists and members of media organisations in BiH), practical solutions on how to gender mainstream in their work environment, including advice on possible affirmative actions they can make.
The event was organised in partnership with the Press and Online Media Council of Bosnia and Herzegovina, within the joint European Union/Council of Europe programme “Horizontal Facility for the Western Balkans and Turkey 2019-2022”, and its action on “Freedom of expression and freedom of the media in Bosnia and Herzegovina (JUFREX)”.
