MediaQuest has joined the UAE National Chapter of the UN Women's Unstereotype Alliance, making it the first publishing house in the Arab world to do so.
Obeida K. Danhach Bissani, the CEO of the Dubai-based company, signed a memorandum of understanding with Dr. Mouza Al-Shehhi, the executive director of the UN Women Liaison Office for the Gulf Cooperation Council.
According to Al-Shehhi, “Media plays a critical role in shaping our perceptions and views, as well as forming our social values. UN Women believes in the transformative role of media and social media, which are powerful tools to promote gender equality and break down gender-based stereotypes.”
MediaQuest and the Unstereotype Alliance will collaborate in several areas to raise awareness of gender equality and women's empowerment concerns among stakeholders, including decision-makers and influencers.
MediaQuest is launching a campaign to combat negative stereotypes in advertising and media as a first step.
UN Women's data and analysis on gender equality and women's empowerment will be used to inform and facilitate the company's content creation and publication. It will give media coverage and host events on topics such as women's economic empowerment, leadership, and engagement, as well as other gender-related issues.
Al-Shehhi further said, “We need more gender-sensitive content and to challenge social and cultural norms, attitudes and perceptions, both in content and in publishing houses. And we also need to portray women in leadership roles and unconventional settings, and the media helps us instill this more realistic depiction of women in mainstream culture.”
MediaQuest joined the UN Women Media Compact earlier this year, a collaborative effort to promote women's empowerment through the news media. The corporation will collaborate with its stakeholders to uphold and implement business policies that empower women, such as equal pay for equal work, gender-responsive supply chain procedures, and a zero-tolerance policy on workplace sexual harassment.
Bissani remarked, “As a media organization that not only produces content by women and for women but is also led by women, MediaQuest aims at completely embracing the ambition to adopt and promote the highest standards in women’s rights wherever it can.”
The Unstereotype Alliance, now in its fifth year, has 217 global and national chapter members.
