Overall targets
The development goal of the project is to strengthen the media to play its ideal and catalytic roles in The Gambia’s fragile democracy development and the transitional justice process.
Immediate targets
The project has three immediate objectives: For members: GPU’s members receive support from their union on issues of welfare and safety, including issues of equal payment and sexual harassment. Key Performance Indicators GPU has engaged in 10 successful Collective Bargaining Agreements regarding pay and working conditions. GPU policies and guidelines on collective bargaining and contracting. Reports from members on employment contracts and increment of salary and freelance dues. CIVIL SOCIETY FUND, Development Intervention, revised January 2019 12 30 Gambia media houses have safety procedures and structures. Journalists use safety precautions in the field. Journalists use GPU’s industry wide press card and safety jackets. Training manual on the safety. Launching of a report on the level of sexual harassment. 30 Gambia media houses have procedures and structures for mitigating and fighting sexual harassment. For media: GPU’s affiliate media organizations have structures and procedures to involve their members and pursue the agendas of their audiences Affiliates are successfully co-designing a training course with MAJAC and recruiting appropriate trainees. Affiliates are successfully implementing a project leading to improvements for their target group Key Performance Indicators 6 affiliate organizations have structures and procedures to involve members and to develop and implement projects. Affiliate bodies have assigned desk officers. Affiliates are engaging their members on a regular basis. Affiliates send in yearly reports and minutes of their meetings. For society: GPU involves counterparts and partner organizations in advocacy for freedom of expression, freedom of information and good governance Key Performance Indicators GPU proposes bill on freedom of expression to the Ministry GPU initiates regular meetings of the strategic committee for media sector reform with focus on advocacy for freedom of expression, freedom of information and good governance. As the secretariat of strategic committee, GPU services partners – media organizations and donors – in development of projects with special focus on good governance GPU presents annually policies to or co-produce policies with governmental or civil society on Freedom of speech and right to information. GPU implements its advocacy and communication policy, increasing visibility, outreach. 6 established new administrative and operational policies are taught to affiliate organizations. Decisions of the GPU are based on the policies of the organization. GPU runs an effective policy-driven organization. Yearly staff appraisals. GPU has acquired three ongoing 2-5 years projects. GPU has effective systems for ME, compensation and procurement
Target groups
The primary target groups are: • The staff and board of GPU. • Female media practitioners are a specific target group of the project, as GPU is championing the cause of female journalists in the media. • The GPU’s six registered journalist affiliate bodies. Their make-up is a reflection of GPU’s wide membership base. The secondary target groups are: • Members of GPU: The Gambia has more than one thousand media professionals. Out of this number more than 400 are members of the GPU, 40 per cent of these are women journalists, and 95 per cent of them are under the age of 40. • Media professionals in general: Both registered and non-registered media professionals recognise and appreciate the legitimacy of the GPU as the trade union and professional umbrella organization for media professionals. • Media houses: There are fifty media houses in the Gambia; they consist of broadcast media, print, online and community radios. Some of them are members of the GPU or appreciate its legitimacy. • Media owners and employers: They are a particular target group as they represent the counterpart of the trade union. It is their responsibility to secure conducive and safe working environment. The GPU has a close working relationship with the publishers’ association, broadcast association and community radio associations. • Security sector: The security sector is another particular counterpart. GPU has for the past few years earned a close working relationship with the security sector through their different engagements, including training in 2014/2015 with support from GAMES and CISU. • MOICI: Ministry of Information Communication and Infrastructure is co-chairing the media sector reform committee with the GPU. The ministry is the counterpart and policy maker responsible for liberalization of the ICT sector and media development and for media sector reforms in cooperation with the ministry of Justice. • PURA: Public Utility and Regulatory Authority (PURA) is a counterpart on a more pragmatic level, a multi-sector regulator mandated to regulate the spectrum and license all broadcast media houses in the Gambia. PURA is also part of the media sector reform committee. • TANGO: TANGO and the civil society organizations will also benefit from a stronger GPU through the cooperation on freedom of expression, access to information and community media. • The people: The ultimate target groups are the audiences of the media, the civil society and, in fact, all citizens of The Gambia, as all citizens stand to benefit from a more vibrant and transparent democracy including a broad range of media, manned by competent staff.
Resume
Gambia Press Union (GPU) har været på en fantastisk, men også farefuld rejse, siden GPU indledte partnerskabet med GAMES for mere end 15 år siden. De første mange år måtte GPU bruge alle kræfter på at kæmpe mediers og journalisters sag under præsident Jammehs repressive styre. Alligevel lykkedes det samtidig GPU at etablere Gambias første journalistskole – med støtte fra GAMES. I 2016 blev Jammeh væltet ved et demokratisk valg, men først efter et folkeligt pres – med GPU i en central rolle – overlod han magten til det nye styre. Udviklingen i Gambia betyder, at GPU kan indtage nye roller som en klassisk fagforening for medlemmerne og som en konstruktiv bidragyder til at få det nye demokrati forankret. Med sit positive omdømme står GPU i en unik position til at spille en katalytisk rolle, men det kræver, at GPU har den nødvendige kapacitet til at agere og selv kan fremstå som rollemodel for, hvordan en demokratisk og gennemsigtig forening kan fungere. Det er baggrunden for projektet.