CDAC Network and the Global Forum for Media Development (GFMD) are pleased to announce a new reciprocal membership, bringing together two global alliances working to safeguard people’s access to safe, trustworthy information, whether in crisis response or through independent journalism.
| 12. August 2026
The two networks share a common conviction: that people, whether navigating a humanitarian emergency or a shifting information ecosystem, have a right to information they can trust and a ‘right to know’ when AI is being used.
The partnership will leverage opportunities around CDAC’s Standards and Assurance Framework for Ethical AI, the organisation’s flagship initiative for responsible AI governance in crisis contexts, launched in May 2026.
GFMD members will be invited to utilise the tools on offer, provide feedback on future iterations and join in promoting a global ‘right to know’ that AI is being used, including in crises settings.
CDAC Network members will be invited to contribute to and benefit from GFMD leadership, analysis and advocacy on common policy initiatives, around the implementation of GFMD’s new 2026-2030 strategy, and will have the chance to input to GFMD’s policy and advocacy dialogues and working groups which in recent years have coordinated collective action around the EU’s budget, European Media Freedom Act and Digital Services Act, the UN’s Summit for the Future, Global Digital Compact and WSIS+20 as well as the OECD Development Cooperation Principles on Relevant and Effective Support to Media and the Information Environment.
The two networks have agreed to open their respective communities to one another: CDAC will promote its Communities of Practice to GFMD members, and GFMD will invite CDAC members to its events, with more joint opportunities planned over the coming months.
Both are also looking at ways to collaborate at upcoming gatherings – if you have suggestions, please get in touch!
“The deepening of the partnership between GFMD and CDAC reflects the growing convergence between public interest information ecosystem and humanitarian information needs. Independent journalism and trusted crisis communication both depend on people being able to access reliable information they can understand and act on,” said Mira Milosevic, GFMD’s Executive Director.
“CDAC and GFMD work towards the same goal from different angles: making sure people can trust the information that reaches them, including in a crisis,” said Helen McElhinney, CDAC’s Executive Director. “Formalising this partnership means we can build on that shared history, learning from each other’s networks and expertise as the challenges we’re both tackling keep evolving, particularly in this age of rapid advances in AI.”
CDAC Network is the global alliance committed to ensuring people can access safe, trustworthy information during crises. Founded in 2009, CDAC Network is an alliance of UN agencies, Red Cross/Red Crescent, NGOs, media and communications organisations working together to ensure people affected by crisis can access safe, trustworthy information – and have a meaningful voice in the response.
The Global Forum for Media Development is the largest global community working across the public interest information ecosystem. Through collaboration, coordination and collective action, the network of 242 member organisations creates, promotes, and delivers policies and programmes to sustain journalism as a public good.