Kinshasa, June 24th, 2026 (CPA).- Media professionals in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) were on Wednesday encouraged to systematically integrate gender perspectives into their journalistic work in order to promote a better understanding and ownership of the key principles of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325, during a workshop held in Kinshasa.
“The objective of this training is to promote a culture of peace, social cohesion and sustainable stabilization in the Democratic Republic of the Congo through gender-sensitive analytical journalism that operationalizes the pillars of the Women, Peace and Security Agenda while integrating an inclusive and cross-cutting perspective in media coverage of peace-related issues,” said Mireille Laurier Affa’A Mindzie, Head of the MONUSCO Gender Section. According to her, the workshop seeks to break stereotypes and move collectively from portraying women solely as victims to recognizing them as agents of change and builders of peace. “This space is intended to serve as a laboratory for editorial innovation and reflection,” she added.
Mrs. Mindzie explained that through the “Learning by Doing” approach and a co-coaching system that leverages collective intelligence, media professionals are encouraged to rewrite security-related news stories by integrating gender perspectives across all aspects of reporting and to jointly produce, in real time, modern pilot media content that concretely applies the pillars of the Women, Peace and Security Agenda. She further emphasized that by changing perspectives and diversifying sources, journalists have the power to transform perceptions of the current crisis and highlight positive dynamics of social transformation in the DRC. “Local initiatives led by women are major strategic drivers. Let us give them the visibility they deserve in the interest of truthful reporting,” she stressed.
According to her, it is imperative to place the Women, Peace and Security Agenda at the center of journalistic practice. Historically driven by United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 of October 31st, 2000, the agenda is neither an abstract concept nor a mere political option, but rather an essential analytical framework for understanding the often complex dynamics of peace and stabilization in an inclusive manner. Concluding her remarks, the MONUSCO Gender Section Head stated that information that ignores half of the population cannot claim to be either comprehensive or accurate. “Integrating the Women, Peace and Security Agenda into the coverage of political and security issues is not an activist stance; it is a requirement of journalistic quality, balance and relevance,” she said. The two-day workshop, held from June 24th to 25th, 2026 under the theme “Media Lab: Inclusive Journalism as a Driver of Peace and Stabilization,” enables participants to analyze the recommendations and outcomes of the Nairobi workshop held from June 3rd to 4th, 2026, and explore their application within the Congolese context.