GFMD participation at ARIJ 2025
📅 Saturday, 6 December
- Regional Meeting of GFMD Members (MENA)
Hosted by Steering Committee members Rawan Damen (ARIJ) and Shireen Al Khatib (MADA Palestine). - EED Side Event:
Evolving Support for the Resilience and Scalability of Independent Media - Meeting of Regional Publishers
📅 Sunday, 7 December
GFMD will co-moderate a MENA Donor Coordination Meeting (10:00–13:00, Signia Hotel) together with partners from the SahafaMed project. The session will bring together donors, implementers, and regional media-support organisations to discuss:
- Recent legal and political developments affecting international funding
- Sustainable and alternative funding strategies for independent media in the region
- Collective advocacy opportunities, including EU funding frameworks and new support mechanisms
- Strengthening impact assessment practices and improving coordination on donor engagement
The meeting will feature contributions from Alexander Papachristou (Cyrus R. Vance Center for International Justice) and will be facilitated by Tom Law (GFMD) and David Hivet (Sahafa Med).
Marking GFMD’s 20th Anniversary at the ARIJ Awards
On Sunday evening, Jesper Hojberg, Executive Director of IMS and one of GFMD’s founding members, will speak about GFMD’s 20-year journey during the ARIJ Awards Ceremony.
Join GFMD in Amman or online
Whether you will be attending the ARIJ Forum in person or following the discussions virtually, you are warmly invited to join GFMD’s activities.
If you will be attending the ARIJ Forum, we invite you to contact Tom Law at tlaw@gfmd.info to coordinate networking opportunities, informal meet-ups, and member activities throughout the event.
GFMD is proud to celebrate two decades of collaboration, community, and commitment to strengthening independent media worldwide. We look forward to marking this milestone with our members and partners in Amman.