Joint Declaration on Freedom of Expression and Gender Justice

On May 3, 2022, the UN Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Opinion and Expression, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Representative on Freedom of the Media, the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights (ACHPR) Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Expression and Access to Information and the Organization of American States (OAS) Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Expression launched their 2022 Joint Declaration on Freedom of Expression and Gender Justice. The Joint Declaration sets out important recommendations for States, tech companies, media outlets and other stakeholders.

The Joint Declaration offers a series of recommendations to all key stakeholders – States, the private sector, media outlets and civil society – on promoting gender equity and justice both online and offline to ensure the full and effective exercise of the right to freedom of expression. The Joint Declaration hopes to enshrine itself as an intersectional instrument to encourage all stakeholders to tackle the issue of gender inequality.

 The recommendations include:

• States should remove structural and systemic barriers to equality, as well as discriminatory laws, policies and practices that impede women’s full enjoyment of all human rights;
• States should protect and promote the participation and equality of women in the media sector;
• States should enact specific legislation or update existing laws to prohibit, investigate and prosecute online sexual and gender-based violence;
• Media outlets should increase women's representation as managers and other positions.