The United Nations Information Centre (UNIC) in Yaounde co-organised with the United Nations Fund for Women (UNIFEM) a two day training workshop on gender sensitive reporting. The workshop was held on 23–24 July 2009 in UNIC Yaounde's press room and was attended by 25 journalists.

The group included Editors-in-chief and reporters of electronic and print media from key media organisations in Yaounde. Most of the participants have special newspaper columns and Radio/TV news programme slots which address gender, but had very little or no knowledge of the concepts and notions of gender.

The main objective of the workshop was to impart knowledge on the subject and share information about the United Nations’ activities related to gender through its specialised agency, UNIFEM, so as to enable better quality and sensitivity in reporting gender issues and UNIFEM’s activities.

The workshop began with a detailed presentation about the basic concepts on gender and the impact of gender inequality and its cost by the UNIFEM Consultant/Trainer, Ms. Beatrice Eyong. This training module led to a group exercise during which the participants reported on a UNIFEM event using the concepts learned from the presentation.

On the second day, more practice on gender sensitive reporting was done using the UN Secretary-General's campaign to end violence against women as an example. UNIC Yaounde’s National Information Officer (NIO), Ms. Anne Nsang, presented the key points of the campaign and discussed statistics on violence against women and the International Women’s Day 2009 theme: “Men and Women United to End Violence against Women and Girls.” Ms. Nsang drew the attention of the participants to the effect of violence against women on development, peace and security.

She called on the journalists, both male and female, to consider gender when reporting. Ms. Nsang also gave guidelines on gender sensitive reporting.

At the end of the workshop participants created a detailed media plan for three upcoming UNIFEM/UNIC activities, namely 16 Days of Activism/Int’l Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women (Nov. 2009), the Secretary-General's campaign to End Violence Against Women (2008 – 2015), and International Women’s Day (March 2010). The plan incorporated many of the concepts discussed during the workshop.

On 24 March 2009, students at the Ghana Institute of Languages were briefed by the National Programme coordinator of United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) in Ghana, Ms. Afua Ansre.  Her topic was “Women and Men United to end violence against Women and Girls.” Ms. Ansre addressed students of the Ghana Institute of Languages in Accra as part of activities to mark the Institute’s Students Representative Council week.

Ms. Ansre explained that violence was not only physical assault but any act that tended to degrade another person and violated his or her human rights. Ms. Ansre stated the need for both men and women to work closely together to completely stop violence against women and girls. To this end, men and women must educate one another about their rights, call for reforms of practices that violate the human rights of women and girls and report human rights abuses to security agencies.  

With vivid examples, she described the various types of violence against women and girls including verbal, physical, economic, psychological, emotional and cultural. She asked the students to reject and speak against practices like "trokosi," labeling old women as witches, mistreatment of household help, widowhood rites and others acts that demean women and girls. She suggested that students at the Institute form an advocacy group to support their colleagues whose human rights may have been violated.

Ms. Ansre attributed the main cause of violence against women and girls to the unequal power relations between men and women and urged women and girls to educate themselves to the highest level to enable them to compete on equal footing with men in all spheres of human endeavor.

She admitted that some women also committed violence against men but such incidents were very low as compared to acts by men. Issues raised by the students included violence against women by pastors, lecturers harassing female students and the attitude of men towards women and girls looking for jobs.

Mr. Matthew Tetteh Amegatcher, Executive Director of Plan Life, a non-governmental organization, strongly supported the involvement of men in activities to stop violence against women and girls. He said education in this direction should start right from infancy to involve both boys and girls and family chores should be done by both boys and girls to erase the notion that women and girls were meant for the kitchen.

He mentioned his plans to form the “Men for Change Club” to target men who engaged in violence against women and girls. He said the Club will make a strong case for men to share in household chores and lobby for a paternity leave bill so that husbands actively compliment the activities of their wives in the home.

According to Mr. Amegatcher, the Club will also look at reproductive health issues, HIV and AIDS, and other practices that violate the human rights of women and girls.

The National Information Officer of the United Nations Information Centre in Accra, Mr. Abraham Nunoo, explained the operations of the UN system, looking at the structure and functions of the six principal organs of the world body.

Students raised questions on the form of sanctions applied against member states that flout the rules of the Organization, efforts by the UN to resolve the long-running Middle East dispute, employment in the UN and the kind of assistance poor countries receive from the Organization.

At the end of the briefing, Ms. Ansre presented UN publications to the Institute for its library.

Focusing on the theme "Women and Men United to End Violence Against Women and Girls", Mexico’s UN Country Team observed International Women's Day on 5 March 2009. In the presence of more than 120 participants, including some 30 media, the UN Resident Coordinator, the Regional Director of the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM), the Director of the United Nations Information Centre (UNIC) in Mexico City and a representative of Mexico's National Women's Institute (INMUJERES), held a press conference and spoke about the different forms of violence against women, including physical, psychological and economic, and their link to the spread of HIV/AIDS.  

UNIC Mexico created a website with information about violence against women, including a special section for the Secretary-General's Campaign "UNiTE to End Violence against Women" and, in coordination with the inter-agency Gender Group, issued press materials and backgrounders. 

The press conference also gave a forum for INMUJERES to recognize the participation of Diego Schoening, a well-known Mexican entertainer, in a national campaign that shares the UN Secretary General’s messages on the importance of getting men involved in ending violence against women, including teaching other men that “real men don’t hit women” and that only by acting together can we create more equal and peaceful societies.

On 3 March 2009 approximately 15 journalists attended a special briefing on the Secretary-General’s campaign “UNiTED to End Violence Against Women”, organized by the United Nations Information Centre (UNIC) in Buenos Aires. The keynote speaker, United Nations Population Fund 's (UNFPA) Liason Officer in Argentina informed the audience about the goals of the worldwide campaign and provided data on violence against women in Argentina. Senator María Perceval briefed the audience on the comprehensive bill on violence against women currently being debated at the Senate and a representative  of the non-governmental organization (NGO) Argentina’s Journalists Network for Non Sexist Communication (PAR) discussed gender and journalism.