Istanbul, 27 May 2025 – The Euro-Mediterranean Network of Women Journalists was officially launched today on the sidelines of the Union for the Mediterranean’s first Digital Sustainable Week in Istanbul with the presence of 15 journalists from across the region. Supported by the Swedish Development Cooperation Agency (Sida), this new initiative aims to strengthen gender-sensitive reporting and foster cross-border collaboration among female journalists.

To mark the occasion, the network organised a hybrid training session led by Saja Mortada from the Arab Reporters for Investigative Journalism‘s Arab Fact-Checkers Network. Under the theme “Understand, Verify, Prompt: Boosting Journalism with AI”, the workshop explored how generative AI can support journalism, improve fact-checking, and enhance storytelling while addressing ethical challenges and the risk of gender biases in AI applications.

The idea for the network first emerged from the “Media and Gender Equality – Shifting Narratives” debate that took place during the 2024 High-level Conference on Women for the Mediterranean (official conclusions here) that brought together female journalists from Northern, Southern and Eastern Mediterranean countries. Participants discussed challenges and good practices relating to media narratives on gender equality and called for the creation of the Euro-Mediterranean Network of Women Journalists to follow up on these issues.

This initiative aligns with the key commitments outlined in the 5th UfM Ministerial Declaration on Strengthening the Role of Women in Society, which called for amplifying women’s voices and leadership, particularly among younger generations, through close collaboration with media and social media actors.