NEW YORK, March 8, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Al Jazeera Media Network has been awarded the UN Women for Peace Association "Awareness Award" for its focus on critical women's issues in the media network's programmes and news output, including the role its documentaries have had in promoting understanding and awareness of the plight of women and girls around the world.

The award was given by the UNWFPA on International Women's day, to coincide with a panel discussion at the UN headquarters in New York to discuss the role of media in empowering women worldwide. The panel consisted of leading figures including Joan Lunden, award-winning journalist and author, Sherwin Bryce-Pease, President of the UN Correspondents Association, Joanna Coles, Chief Content Officer of Hearst Magazines, Edie Falco, actress, Cicely Tyson, actress, and Cyma Zarghami, President of Viacom Inc.'s Nickelodeon Group.

Barbara Winston, President of UNWFPA, said, "In our inaugural year of the UNWFPA Awareness Award, it is my distinct pleasure to give the award to Al Jazeera for their extensive work on women's and girls' issues across the planet.  The programming on Al Jazeera on women's and girls' issues is exemplary and we're happy for the work that Al Jazeera has done and continues to do.  Often going into dangerous war zones to get their stories, Al Jazeera journalists, many of whom are women themselves, risk their lives to bring to the world the stories that matter."

Abdulla Al Najjar, Al Jazeera's Executive Director of Global Brand and Communications, stated that Al Jazeera's commitment to covering women's issues is part of the core mission of the Network. "Throughout its history, Al Jazeera has been committed to covering issues that affect women from all backgrounds, faiths and regions of the world. Women are so often victims of violence, abuse and persecution, and media needs to be courageous in covering their stories. We are very grateful to the UNWFPA for this honor, and are committed to continuing telling women's stories from around the globe."

Accepting the award for the network were Al Jazeera's Washington correspondent Patty Culhane, and Malika Bilal, co-host and digital producer of Al Jazeera's 'The Stream.'

The United Nations has a series of events to mark International Women's day, focused on accelerating the 2030 targets to ensure equal access to education for boys and girls around the world, to end discrimination against women and to eliminate all forms of violence and harmful practices against girls and women worldwide.

UN Secretary General, Antonio Guterres has called gender equality and the empowerment of women "the greatest human rights challenge in our world."

About Al Jazeera Media Network

Al Jazeera Media Network, launched in 1996, Al Jazeera was the first independent news channel in the Arab world dedicated to providing comprehensive news and live debate. It challenged established narratives and gave a global audience an alternative voice—one that put the human being back at the centers of the news agenda—quickly making it one of the world's most influential news networks.

Since then, it's added new channels and services while maintaining the independent and pioneering spirit that defined its character. Each subsidiary follows the same principles—values that inspire it to be challenging and bold, and provide a 'voice for the voiceless' in some of the most underreported places on the planet. From its headquarters in the Middle East, to the broadcast centers and more than 80 bureaus around the world, Al Jazeera strives to deliver content that captivates, informs, inspires and engages.

About UN Women for Peace Association

The UN Women for Peace Association, Inc. was founded in 2008, under the patronage of H.E. Mrs. Ban Soon-taek, the wife of UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. We help to advance the goals of academic and charitable organizations that provide opportunities for women to partake in the global peace building process through social, cultural, educational and women empowerment programs.

The UNWFPA is committed to the prevention of violence against women and girls, to the provision of services to those affected by violence, to strengthening the implementation of laws and policies against violence, and to the empowerment of women in countries and societies where they are under-advantaged.

Much of our energy is directed toward raising funds for the United Nations Trust Fund to End Violence Against Women. The UN Trust Fund, established by the General Assembly in 1996 and managed by UN Women, focuses in particular on developing countries, countries in conflict, and post-conflict settings. Our contributions to the Trust Fund directly fund these efforts.

The UN Women for Peace Association is dedicated to activities that promote tolerance and respect toward the creation of a peaceful world. We envision a world in which women everywhere have the same opportunities:

• Access to education;
• Opportunities to impact the societies around them in a meaningful and positive capacity;
• Freedom to live in peace, in an environment characterized by tolerance, respect, empowerment, and hope; and
• Protection from violence and freedom from the threat of violence.

 

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SOURCE Al Jazeera Media Network