Between November 2000 and September 2001, over 100 women journalists participated in a series of regional workshops to share information and experiences on the state of the media in different parts of India. There was a broad consensus among workshop participants on the need for an informal network of women journalists to provide a much needed forum to address workplace-related issues, while facilitating career advancement through training and professional enrichment programs.

The upcoming workshop, co-organized by the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), and VOICES, a Bangalore-development communications non-governmental organization, is the first program to address the issues raised during the earlier workshops on a national level.

Women journalists from across the country will gather in New Delhi to collectively envision and plan a future national network of women in journalism, to be launched at the valedictory session following the workshop. Participants will also discuss a wide range of issues related to women in the media, including employment practices and media ethics, priorities and standards.

Program organizers hope the national workshop becomes an important annual event for the Indian media community as a whole.

For more information on the upcoming workshop, contact Iskra Panevska of UNESCO's Communication Development Division, at  i.panevska@unesco.org