GFMD’s advocacy around the Summit of the Future

Freedom of expression, media freedom, and access to information are fundamental to achieving the entirety of the Sustainable Development Goals: for fostering fair and just communities, pursuing meaningful and sustainable development and peace, and addressing shared interests in areas such as health, climate change, social justice, economic growth, gender equality, and youth empowerment.

GFMD and its members have thus been actively engaging with the United Nations around the Summit of the Future and its key outcome documents, including the Pact for the Future and the Global Digital Compact. These efforts focus on advocating that these processes acknowledge the centrality of access to information and fundamental freedoms such as freedom of expression and media freedom, including the safety of journalists, the vibrancy and viability of public interest media, and the resilience of a healthy, autonomous information ecosystem.

What is the Summit of the Future?

The Summit of the Future, scheduled to take place from 22 – 23 September 2024, is a high-level event that aims to accelerate the efforts of UN Member States to meet existing international commitments, such as the Sustainable Development Goals, and take concrete steps to respond to emerging challenges and opportunities.

What is the Pact for the Future?

The Pact for the Future is the Summit’s key outcome document, akin to a blueprint for development, that will be negotiated and endorsed by countries in the lead-up to and during the Summit in September 2024. The Zero Draft of the Pact initially contained no reference to media, journalism, or access to information. Subsequent versions include a commitment to protecting journalists, media professionals and associated personnel during armed conflict (Action 14) and to respecting the right to freedom of expression while addressing disinformation and misinformation (Action 18). These versions also included a reference to protecting civic space for building peaceful, inclusive and just societies (Action 13).

Given both the severity of challenges facing media and journalists around the world and the utmost importance of access to information in empowering people to address shared needs, GFMD has been advocating for the UN and Member States to further strengthen commitments on access to information, media freedom, and public-interest journalism throughout the Pact.

What is the Global Digital Compact?

The Global Digital Compact, which will be included as an annex to the Pact for the Future, seeks to promote an “inclusive, open, safe, and secure digital future” addressing issues such as the digital divide, the digital economy, data governance, and emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence.  The Global Digital Compact includes references to freedom of expression and a commitment to promoting “diverse and resilient information ecosystems, including by strengthening independent and public media, and supporting journalists and media workers.” This commitment could be further strengthened, however, including via the expressed acknowledgement of the media community as a key stakeholder as well as by explicit reference to the Global Principles for Information Integrity and its emphasis on the role of independent, free and pluralistic media. (see GFMD’s post here)

What is GFMD doing?

GFMD has issued a renewed statement on the Summit of the Future (initially issued in May focusing on the Pact for the Future and updated in July following the release of its second revision). Currently, the statement also combines requests from past versions and the statement on the Global Digital Compact (issued in June following the release of the first revision of the Compact). The renewed statement has been signed by more than 100 organisations from over 54 countries.

In light of the final steps leading to the adoption of these outcome documents and following the recent release of the fourth revision of the Pact of the Future and the fourth revision of the Global Digital Compact (with the impending publication of the fifth revision of the Compact, and no major inclusions expected in any of the current texts,), GFMD is issuing a renewed final statement that integrates and builds upon the commitments concerning both the Pact for the Future and the Global Digital Compact. Through the forthcoming joint statement, we not only urge the UN and the Member States to commit to the agreed text, but we also urge them to take stronger action and to ensure consistent implementation of the recognised commitments, which is fundamental for achieving all Sustainable Development Goals, to comply with international human rights standards, and to promote an inclusive multi-stakeholder approach in the implementation and monitoring of these commitments.

Join the Global Forum for Media Development (GFMD) and the undersigned organisations to urge the United Nations (UN) and its Member States to ensure robust commitments to access to information, media freedom, and public-interest journalism as they negotiate the final text of the Pact for the Future and the Global Digital Compact in advance of the Summit of the Future in September, 2024.

Read the renewed final statement here. Your support matters! Please sign the joint statement and join us in advocating for a future where media freedom is safeguarded, journalists are protected, and access to information is upheld as a fundamental right.

Among a range of efforts, the GFMD community has registered interest in intervening during the speaking opportunities allocated during the different Summit’s Interactive Dialogues, in particular, Interactive Dialogue: 1 On Transforming Global Governance and Turbocharging the Implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, Interactive Dialogue 2: On Enhancing Multilateralism for International Peace and Security (both on 22 September 2024) and Interactive Dialogue 3: Towards a Common Digital Future: Strengthening Inclusive Innovation and Cooperation to Bridge the Digital Divides (on 23 September, 2024). In addition, GFMD’s Executive Director has been invited to speak in the Panel Discussion about Global Principles on Information Integrity on 23 September 2024 in the SDG Media Zone at the UN.

GFMD has facilitated a guiding document for those attending the events in New York and has also created an updated advocacy toolkit for its members and other supporters of the statement with key recommendations to assist them in their advocacy efforts. During the Summit of the Future and its Action Days, GFMD and its members will be highlighting the need for stronger commitments on media freedom and the safety of journalists, referencing specific action points from the Pact for the Future and the Global Digital Compact.

Past efforts have included:

• Written input submitted at the end of December 2023 in preparation for the Zero Draft of the Pact for the Future and additional feedback on the Zero Draft, submitted in February 2024.
• Additional feedback on the Global Digital Compact and a second outcome document, the Declaration on Future Generations.
• Attendance at various online and in-person consultation opportunities, including the UN Civil Society Conference in Nairobi, on 9 – 10 May 2024.
• Formation of an informal coalition to advocate for the inclusion of media freedom and related issues into the Pact for the Future and the Global Digital Compact, coordinated via a dedicated mailing list, consisting of more than 90 members.
• Engagement with UN Member States via various fora, including the Media Freedom Coalition, the Team Europe Democracy Initiative, and the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe.
• First Statement on the Pact for the Future, was issued on 28 May, 2024, with 73 signatories, with its corresponding “Advocacy Toolkit.”
• Joint Statement on the Global Digital Compact, was issued in June, following its first revision, with 15 signatories.
• Revised Statement on the Pact for the Future, after its second revision, was issued on 23 July, 2024, with 110 signatories, with its corresponding updated “Advocacy Toolkit.”
• Monitoring of updates on a daily basis, including tracking additional opportunities to engage via other UN processes as well as through civil society allies.
• Facilitated guiding documents and speaking points for those organisations that have registered to take the floor during open consultations both for the Global Digital Compact and the Pact for the Future. DW Akademie, Bangladesh NGOs Network for Radio and Communication, and GFMD contributed to at least four speaking opportunities during the consultations for the Global Digital Compact organised by the co-facilitators of the document.
• Organised a Pre-Summit Planning Call on 9 September 2024 to discuss our plans and engagement with the UN Advocacy Group to ensure coordinated efforts during, and post-Summit.
• Prepared a Guiding Document for the UN Advocacy Group with speaking points for the Summit, updated resource materials and a collaborated list of side-events scheduled to take place around the Summit.

To stay updated on the latest information and engage in our coordination efforts, please do not hesitate to join our UN Policy and Advocacy group by visiting https://gfmd.groups.io/g/UN or by sending a message to UN+subscribe@gfmd.groups.io.