On the occasion of World Press Freedom Day, the National Commission for Human Rights (NCHR), in collaboration with Media Matters for Democracy (MMfD), announced a training fellowship for journalists with an aim to strengthen the professional capacity of journalists to report on digital rights and internet governance through a gender-sensitive and rights-based lens.

Supported by UNESCO’s International Programme for the Development of Communication (IPDC), this initiative also reinforces NCHR’s role in advancing Pakistan’s Digital Gender Inclusion Strategy, where the Commission leads the Safety and Security Working Group.

The fellowship will empower a group of 12 journalists with the knowledge and tools to report on digital rights and gender inclusion. The fellowship will also facilitate the production and dissemination of high-quality, investigative journalism that highlights issues of digital gender inclusion, besides increasing public awareness and visibility of digital gender inclusion challenges through sustained media engagement across both mainstream and digital platforms.

Elaborating the concept behind the initiative, NCHR Chairperson Rabiya Javeri Agha said, ”Despite increased digital penetration in Pakistan, a persistent gender digital divide continues to limit women’s full participation in the digital ecosystem. Journalists play a critical role in raising awareness, influencing public discourse, and holding institutions accountable."

She said that the training will combine theoretical knowledge with practical skill-building and will be structured around understanding Internet Universality and UNESCO’s ROAM-X framework, Pakistan’s digital gender landscape and policy ecosystem, gender-sensitive and rights-based reporting techniques, investigative journalism methods, legal and policy frameworks including PECA, digital safety mechanisms and editorial development of story ideas.

"Advancing gender inclusion in digital spaces requires informed, nuanced journalism. Today digital technologies continue to shape how information is accessed and controlled, it is critical that journalists are equipped to report on these issues with a rights-based and gender-sensitive lens. This fellowship is an opportunity to build that capacity." said, Sadaf Khan, Co-Founder, MMfD.

The training model will be based on UNESCO's global guidelines and publications on gender inclusion, internet universality and governance and gender sensitive reportingThe programme will be contextualised for the Pakistani environment through tailored contributions from NCHR, ensuring alignment with national priorities and ground realities. It will be contextualized for relevance to the Pakistani environment by integrating contributions from NCHR. The Commission will support sessions related to institutional response mechanisms, human rights protections, and the enforcement of digital safety policies and will ensure alignment with national strategies on gender inclusion and internet governance, and provide insight into Pakistan’s regulatory landscape.

Following the training workshop, selected fellows will enter a structured mentorship and content development phase. Each fellow will be paired with an experienced journalist or editor who will provide personalized guidance on refining their story angles, conducting research, and navigating editorial and publication processes.

Applications for the fellowship are now open and will be accepted until 15 May 2025. Interested journalists can apply by completing the online application form available at https://forms.gle/ycYhYjoo8kXfbDd86.