UNESCO Global Media Defence Fund (GMDF): Call for Partnerships 2025

The Global Media Defence Fund (GMDF) at UNESCO invites proposals for its 6th Call for Partnerships, open from 4 November 2025 to 2 January 2026.

The Fund seeks to support not-for-profit organisations at local, regional or global levels to implement projects that strengthen journalists’ legal safety and advance media freedom — particularly through investigative journalism and strategic litigation. ungm.org

Objectives

• Strengthen legal protection mechanisms and provide rapid legal assistance for journalists. ungm.org
• Support investigative journalism initiatives to help reduce impunity for crimes committed against journalists. ungm.org
• Promote strategic litigation aimed at advancing media freedom and accountability. ungm.org

Eligible Activities

• Output 2: Rapid legal assistance & mechanisms to bolster journalists’ legal protection. ungm.org
• Output 3: Investigative journalism aimed at reducing impunity. ungm.org
• Output 4: Strategic litigation to enhance media freedom. ungm.org

Eligibility & Application Details

• Open to non-profit organisations (local, regional, global) working on media freedom, journalist protection, investigative journalism, strategic litigation. ungm.org
• Applications submitted via email only to: gmdf@unesco.org. ungm.org
• Registration on the United Nations Global Marketplace (UNGM) is not mandatory for this call. ungm.org

Deadline: 2 January 2026 (23:59 UTC+1)

For more information and to apply, click here.