Partnerships

Advisory, consultative and observer status

United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC)

GFMD has held special consultative status by ECOSOC since July 2018.

This means that members of GFMD can access and contribute to ECOSOC meetings in New York City and Geneva, as well as organise side events while the council is sitting.

United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)

GFMD has held observer status at UNESCO, since June 2022.

The GFMD Secretariat and GFMD members use this status to attend and participate in Unesco meetings including the Council of the International Programme on the Development of Communication (IPDC).

United Nations Internet Governance Forum (IGF)

GFMD has served as the secretariat of the Dynamic Coalition on the Sustainability of Journalism and News Media, an officially recognised Dynamic Coalition within the United Nations Internet Governance Forum (IGF) since November 2019.

Media Freedom Coalition – Consultative Network (MFC-CN)

GFMD has been a member of the Consultative Network of the Media Freedom Coalition, since September 2023.

The MFC-CN is a group of national, regional and international organisations that in collaboration with a much broader set of civil society groups, voluntarily provides advice to the MFC on the Coalition’s work.

The GFMD Secretariat uses our membership of the MFC’s Consultative Network to:

  • To present cases to the MFC for action – both cases of concern in countries where media freedom is at particular risk and cases of individual journalists or media outlets under threat. This includes sharing information on the situation and providing recommendations on what the MFC can do to address it;
  • To offer advice on present and future issues within media freedom and media development, including speaking at MFC events, and channelling suggestions from CSOs, media, journalists’ associations, and others to inform the MFC membership;
  • To monitor the work of the coalition and provide inputs on the day-to-day and strategic work of the MFC.

European Commission 

GFMD is a civil society co-lead of Working Group 3: Media and Digital of the Team Europe Democracy (TED) Initiative.

At the global level, the TED Network will improve the coordination of EU institutions, Member State representatives, and their implementing agencies as well as promote discussion with civil society organisations and networks, think tanks, research centres and universities based in Europe that are engaged in promoting democracy and human rights worldwide.

The TED Initiative has three main pillars: 1) Research on democracy support best practices and policies 2) TED Network (global level) 3) Providing expertise at the country level.

The TED Initiative (September 2022 to June 2027) aims to create a coordinated strategic European response in support of democracy. It forms one part of the Team Europe Initiative (TEI), an initiative of the European Commission’s Directorate-General for International Partnerships (DG INTPA), which focuses on “identifying critical priorities that constrain development in a given country or region, where a coordinated and coherent effort by ‘Team Europe’ would ensure results with a transformative impact.”

Christchurch Call Advisory Network

GFMD is a member of the Christchurch Call Advisory Network, which is a part of the wider Christchurch Call Community. Its members represent perspectives including human rights, freedom of expression, digital rights, counter-radicalisation, victim support, and public policy. membership has been drawn from interested civil society groups, who represent a range of perspectives, including human rights, freedom of expression, digital rights, counter-radicalization, victim support and public policy. 

Partnerships with donors and policymakers

Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Development Assistance Committee (DAC) 

GFMD, in cooperation with the Center for International Media Assistance (CIMA), played a leading role in the OECD DAC’s Network on Governance (GovNet) adopting Development Cooperation Principles on Relevant and Effective Support to Media and the Information Environment. The adoption was the culmination of over two years of consultations among bilateral donor agencies, implementing organisations, civil society representatives, and media development experts.

Journalism Funders Forum (JFF) and Media Impact Funders (MIF)

GFMD works with communities of philanthropic organisations that are supporting media and journalism such as JFF and MIF to provide briefings to funders of journalism and collaborate on building the evidence base for the sector.

Coalitions, forums and initiatives

GFMD is a member of the following networks and membership organisations:

Democracy, Digital, and Development

  • Defenders in Development Coalition: The Defenders in Development Coalition engages in capacity building and collective action to ensure that communities and marginalised groups have the information, resources, protection and power to shape, participate in, or oppose development activities, and to hold development financiers, governments and companies accountable.
  • Design 4 Democracy Coalition: The Design 4 Democracy serves as a coordination mechanism between groups of democracy and human rights organisations around the world that are working at the forefront of technology and democracy issues.
  • Forum on Information and Democracy: The Forum on Information and Democracy is a non-profit entity led by civil society organisations and mandated to implement democratic principles from the International Partnership on Information and Democracy.
  • Global Network Initiative: GNI is the leading forum for accountability, shared learning, engagement, and collective advocacy on government and company policies and practices at the intersection of technology and human rights.

Safety of Journalists

  • ACOS Alliance: The ACOS Alliance (A Culture Of Safety Alliance) is a unique global coalition of 150+ news organizations, journalist associations and press freedom NGOs working together to champion safe and responsible journalism practices. 
  • International Civil Society Organization on the Safety of Journalists Coalition: The ICSO SoJ Coalition is made up of 17 international and regional civil society organisations and aims to strengthen coordination to promote the safety of journalists and fight against impunity.
  • Hold the Line Coalition: #HoldTheLine is an international coalition that has come together in support of Maria Ressa. It consists of more than 80 groups led by the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), the International Centre for Journalists (ICFJ) and Reporters Without Borders (RSF).

Press Freedom and Media Support

  • International Press Institute (IPI): The International Press Institute (IPI) is a global network of editors, media executives and leading journalists who share a common dedication to quality, independent journalism.
  • Community Media Forum Europe (CMFE): The CMFE is an international non-profit association founded to strengthen the participation of the “Third Media Sector” in European discussion and decision-making processes at a moment when freedom of expression and free access to information are increasingly endangered by the consequences of concentration in the media field.

Research & academic institutions

GFMD has several research and academic partnerships including:

Funders and donors

The Global Forum for Media Development is funded by our members and through the core and programmatic funding from public and private donors.

Membership fees: As the world’s leading membership network working to secure the future of journalism in the digital era, GFMD’s members contribute annual membership fees to support collaborative efforts to strengthen independent media, foster innovation, and build a sustainable environment for journalism worldwide. Membership fees make up 15% of GFMD’s income. Membership fees are set depending on the staffing numbers of each organisation.

Core funders 2025-2026:

  • The International Fund for Public Interest Media provides direct grants to media outlets and develops strategic partnerships to develop new solutions and create lasting change to support public interest media where the need is greatest.
  • The Open Society Foundations (OSF), founded by George Soros, are the world’s largest private funder of independent groups working for justice, democratic governance, and human rights.

Programmatic funders and partners 2025-2026:

Programmatic funders 2005 – 2024

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