Press release: ITP Media Group and international media outlets partner with UN Women to advance women’s empowerment

Jan 25 2021, Dubai - ITP Media Group (ITP), one of the largest media companies in the Middle East with a portfolio of more than 80 media brands, has joined UN Women’s Media Compact, a global partnership established in 2016 to advance women’s empowerment.

With an estimated audience of over 80 million people across the Middle East and beyond, ITP Media Group will be working closely with UN Women to scale-up their focus on women’s empowerment and gender equality issues through high-quality coverage and editorial decisions, complemented by gender-responsive corporate practices.

"The media has a significant role to play in increasing awareness of women’s leadership, and in challenging the dangerous social norms that condone gender-based discrimination or violence. This partnership between UN Women and ITP Media Group offers a landmark opportunity to amplify the voices of women and men working for gender equality and women’s empowerment in the Arab States region,” said Susanne Mikhail, Regional Director of UN Women in the Arab States.

Ali Akawi, CEO of ITP Media Group added “It is of paramount importance that the media in the Middle East as a whole, and ITP Media Group in particular, continues to champion gender equality in every facet of our work – whether that is ensuring gender diversity in the senior-most roles, offering mentorship to emerging talent and, in the content that we produce, depicting the multi-faceted contributions of women to our workplaces, governments and communities. A failure to do all this is a failure to accurately reflect the society and values our brands seek to represent, and one that undermines our mission to be the region’s most credible, authoritative and accurate storytellers.”

“It is impossible to conceive of an ITP Media Group without women driving the company forward each and every day as executives, senior managers, editors, journalists, content creators, and designers. And while the journey to become a more inclusive, gender sensitive organisation is ongoing, signing up to the UN Women’s Media Compact ensures we never lose sight of the importance of these efforts.”

International media outlets under ITP including Arabian Business, CEO Middle East, Cosmopolitan Middle East, Esquire Middle East, GQ Middle East, Grazia Middle East and Harper’s Bazaar Arabia, have also joined the Media Compact.

As members of UN Women’s Media Compact, these media outlets will champion women’s rights and gender equality issues through editorial articles, features, and news coverage, while ensuring inclusion of women as authors, contributors, and key sources in stories produced, including across diverse subjects, and adopting a gender-sensitive approach to reporting.

UN Women, for its part, will amplify relevant content produced by these media outlets through its social media channels, and provide exclusive on-the-record or background briefings and analysis to assist research for in-depth stories, as well as facilitate contacts with grassroots groups and colleagues in the field as part of reporting for stories and articles.