Deutsche Welle's Global Media Forum is the only international media conference that brings together decision-makers and influencers from the worlds of journalism, digital media, politics, business, civil society and academia. The 2018 GMF offers a unique interdisciplinary approach to tackling one of the defining challenges of our time: global inequalities.

EED has been a proud partner of the Forum for many years now. Within the framework of this year's edition, we are organising a session tackling its main theme: "DEMOstream: Using media to advance equality and inclusion in the European Neighborhood".

EED will also host a screening of KAFA & Diana Moukalled’s movie “Against  Me”, highlighting the struggle Lebanese women face when fighting for a divorce and child custody. More details below.

Movie Screening and Discussion with the Director: AGAINST ME

Date: Tuesday, 12 June 2018, 9:30 am - 10:30 am
Venue: Room Addis Abeba III

KAFA seeks to create a society "free of social, economic and legal patriarchal structures that discriminate against women." KAFA – meaning "Enough" in Arabic – is a feminist secular NGO based in Lebanon. Their new documentary entitled "Against Me", produced together with Diana Moukalled, tells the stories of seven Lebanese women whose lives were changed by sexist and discriminatory Personal Status Laws in Lebanon. The film aims to increase the general awareness about these laws in the Middle East, and to expose how they discriminate against women and help to perpetuate domestic and institutional violence against them. KAFA aims to show that Lebanese women need a unified law that protects them all from discrimination and unfair treatment in divorce and custody battles. The screening will be followed by a discussion with Diana Moukalled, the movie’s director.

DEMOstream: Using media to advance equality and inclusion in the European Neighborhood

Date: Tuesday, 12 June 2018, 2:30 pm - 3:30 pm
Venue: Rhine Lobby I

Speakers:
Vrezh Varzhapetyan | Community Manager Right Side NGO (Armenia)
Sally Samy | Co-Founder “Love Displayed” (Egypt)
TamaraChergoleishvili | Founder Tabula Media (Georgia)

Moderator:
Diana Moukalled | Co-Founder Daraj, Middle East (Lebanon)

Democracy and equality should go hand in hand. The idea being that inclusive societies and accountable, democratic institutions are preconditions for sustainable development and stability. All citizens are supposed to be equal before the law. But inequalities, from institutionalized racism to gender inequalities, persist, albeit to varying degrees, in all societies. This is especially true of many countries in the European Neighborhood where, even in the most progressive places, human rights continue to be routinely violated. Many individuals, in particular from marginalized groups, are excluded from democratic life.

The objective of the session is to demonstrate some of the diverse and inspiring responses of a number of EED activists – from initiatives enabling the underprivileged to obtain vital knowledge about their constitutional rights to others seeking to stimulate discussion on taboo societal issues.

DEMOstream will feature interactive presentations by EED grantees examining different media tools and methods for raising awareness on social exclusion (traditional activism, documentary filmmaking and journalism), changing mindsets and advocating for change.

Find out more about the programme on the event website and join us in Bonn on 11 - 13 June for three days filled with inspiring debates.