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"Media for Peace and Equality on Both Sides of Nistru River" Program: Lessons Learned and Opportunities for Collaboration

20 November 2024


More than 35 journalists, freelancers, civic activists and experts have discussed in Chișinău the media's involvement in promoting gender equality, its contribution to overcoming conflicts and strengthening social cohesion and peace journalism on both sides of Nistru River. During the forum "Media for Peace and Equality on Both Sides of Nistru River, Coming to An End: What We Set Out To Achieve and What We Have Achieved," held by API and UN Women, on 19 November 2024, the totals of the program were made and the most active beneficiaries were awarded.

At the opening of the forum, Dominika Stojanoska, UN Women Moldova country representative, mentioned the important role of the media in strengthening peace and social cohesion, as well as the courage of media professionals in a geopolitical and global context fueled by war, conflict, disinformation and hate speech. "We need to continue these peace dialogues and the contribution of the media in promoting gender equality and social cohesion is essential", D. Stojanoska said. For her part, Equality Council member Gheorghina Drumea emphasized that war and related crises disproportionately affect certain vulnerable groups, including women and girls. "For these groups of people, refuge means not only the loss of a home or a stable livelihood, but also exposure to new forms of vulnerability, increased risks of violence, discrimination and exclusion. This is why the media can and must become a basic tool in building bridges between communities, helping to eliminate prejudices and stereotypes." In this context, Petru Macovei, API Executive Director, highlighted some progress in promoting social inclusion, which is due both to the support provided by international partners and to the active involvement of independent journalists, guided by ethical and professional standards. He called for continued efforts to strengthen cooperation between media professionals on both sides of Nistru River in this regard.

 

The main results of the program "Media for Peace and Equality on Both Sides of Nistru River," carried out by the Association of Independent Press (API) from August 2023 to November 2024, were presented by Ion Mazur, project coordinator. A total of more than 150 media professionals were involved in the program, and about 70 journalists and freelancers from both banks of Nistru River consolidated their knowledge in a cycle of training sessions and in-house trainings. At the same time, eight teams made up of media representatives from both banks of Nistru River received financial support for the production and publication of joint thematic materials. In addition, five editorial offices, selected on a competitive basis, were provided with technical equipment to ensure the digital and physical security of their staff, as well as support in developing and adapting internal policies.

 

This was followed by a panel discussion with the participation of some of the beneficiaries of the program: Renata Lupacescu, director of Studio-L TV station from Căușeni, Vitalie Guțu, co-founder of the portal Zonadesecuritate.md, Andrei Litvinenco, journalist of the portal Vtranse.Life from the Transnistrian region, and Maria Gavrilcenco, journalist at the Media Youth Center. They shared their impressions and experience in the production of joint journalistic materials, talked about challenges and difficulties, as well as about the prospects of collaboration due to their involvement in this project. UN Women and API appreciated the efforts of 17 media professionals from both sides of Nistru River in peace-building through gender and conflict-sensitive reporting, and presented them with certificates of confirmation.  

 

The Forum continued with an award ceremony for the winners of the national contest of journalistic materials "Contribution of Media Professionals to Strengthening Peace and Social Cohesion," held within the program. So, in the category "Women, Peace, Security: Shaping Narratives," the winners were Dorin Rusu, TV Nord (Bălți) with the report „Masculinizarea și feminizarea profesiilor, este deja un lucru obișnuit în timpul nostru. Care sunt preferințele femeilor” ("Masculinization and Feminization of Professions is Already Commonplace in Our Time. What Are Women's Preferences") and Elizaveta Rotari, ATV (Comrat) - „Forță și rezistență: femeile din poliția UTA Găgăuzia” ("Strength and Resilience: Women in Gagauz Police"). In the "Accountable Journalism in Conflict Reporting" category, Maia Balan, SP newspaper (Bălți) won the award - „Femeile și bărbații în conflictul armat de pe Nistru: Curaj și sacrificii” ("Women and Men in the Armed Conflict on Nistru: Courage and Sacrifice"). And in the category "Stories of Social Cohesion: Power of Community in Difficult Times" Irina Shlaeva, Lik TV (Râbnița) with „Povestea Nastiei din Ucraina: cum și-a deschis propria afacere în Rezina” ("Story of Nastia from Ukraine: How She Opened Her Own Business in Rezina" - Dorin Rusu – with „A început o nouă viață în Republica Moldova. Istoria unei refugiate din Ucraina care își educă de una singură  5 copii” ("Starting a New Life in Moldova. Story of Ukrainian Refugee Raising Five Children on Her Own"- were awarded. The winners received certificates and cash prizes of 6000 lei per material.

 

Another result of the project was presented at the end of the forum. It is the guides "Transformative Power of Gender and Conflict-Sensitive Media Practices in Peacebuilding Efforts" and "Journalism in Conflict Situations: Ethical and Security Recommendations," developed by the project experts Loretta Handrabura and Ludmila Andronic. The guides contain useful information and practical recommendations for media professionals, formulated after trainings with project beneficiaries. The experts presented the guides, answered questions and encouraged the beneficiaries to persevere in order to make a real contribution to promoting gender equality and strengthening cohesion. The two guides are published in Romanian, Russian and English and will be available online and in print in the near future.

 

A short video from the event is available HERE.

 

This event is organized by the Association of Independent Press (API) within the project "Building Sustainable and Inclusive Peace, Strengthening Trust and Social Cohesion on Both Banks of Nistru River," jointly implemented by the UN Office for Human Rights (OHCHR), UNDP, UN Women, and funded through the United Nations Peacebuilding Fund (UN PBF).