IAWRT Regional Conference, Moldova, May 2009 - "The global financial crisis and women".

The value of IAWRT as a forum to share ideas during times of crisis came to the fore at the regional meeting in Moldova.

With the theme ‘The Global Financial Crisis - Its effect on women and media', the conference in Chisinau brought together media women from a range of countries to discuss different solutions to a variety of problems.

After a welcome by local member Alina Radu, IAWRT President Olya Booyar set the scene with an overview of how the GFC was affecting women and families in a range of developed and developing societies.

And her call for media women to tell the stories of the crisis from a women's perspective was reinforced by speaker after speaker throughout the day.TV and radio journalists, documentary makers and even a Member of Parliament recounted stories of the difficulties women face in the media in Moldova even before the GFC.

Aneta Grosu, from the Association of Independent TV Journalists which co-hosted the conference, spoke of how government policies and the entrenched dominance of men in media and politics made it hard for women to get their voices heard.

Participants from Africa, Europe and the Asia-Pacific region found common ground in sharing their experiences and some possible solutions.

The conference was also a chance for local Moldovan media women to see the work of IAWRT and network both formally and informally.

See the attachment for a full report on the conference.