About the Global Media Defence Fund
The Global Media Defence Fund (GMDF) is a Multi-Partner Trust Fund triggered by the 2019 Global Campaign for Media Freedom, to contribute to the implementation of the (鈥淯N Plan of Action鈥). It was established in 2019 with major initial contributions from the United Kingdom and Canada, and as a result of the identification of a need on the ground for a mechanism to reinforce the legal defense of journalists in need of legal protection, ensure judicial follow-up and hold perpetrators accountable for crimes against journalists (and the widespread impunity for these crimes), and foster environment where legal frameworks are conducive to a plural, free and independent media ecosystem.
The GMDF is administered by UNESCO, the specialized UN agency responsible for the promotion and protection of freedom of expression and press freedom and the global coordination of the UN Plan of Action.
Within the framework of the GMDF, UNESCO supports not-for-profit organizations from all around the globe in the implementation of local, regional, and global projects that seek to bolster journalists鈥 legal protection and/or enhance media freedom through relevant investigative journalism and/or strategic litigation.
The GMDF also supports the work of the International Bar Association鈥檚 Human Rights Institute (IBAHRI) as Secretariat to the High Level Legal Panel of Legal Experts on Media Freedom, and backs the efforts of the Media Freedom Coalition鈥檚 Consultative Network (formerly Advisory Network) to ensure civil society, media and journalists鈥 engagement in the promotion of media freedom worldwide.
UNESCO launches annual or biannual competitive calls for proposals (鈥淐alls for Partnerships鈥) open to relevant stakeholders willing to undertake or upscale local, regional, and global initiatives.
The GMDF contributes to UNESCO Global Priorities: Gender Equality and Africa:
- All partnership proposals seeking funding under the GMDF are required to mainstream gender throughout the development and implementation of the actions they propose, in accordance with a gender-responsive and/or a gender-transformative approach.
- UNESCO employs its best efforts to prioritize eligible partnerships with organizations based in or targeting one or more African countries.
The GMDF also complements and synergizes with projects implemented under UNESCO鈥檚 regular program and other extra-budgetary funding modalities supporting the Organization鈥檚 work on freedom of expression and safety of journalists, such as the (MDP) , the (IPDC), and UNESCO Funds-In-Trust projects.
The GMDF synergizes with other activities implemented by UNESCO, including UNESCO鈥檚 initiative to support the role of security forces and the Judiciary in protecting and ensuring an environment conducive to freedom of expression, the Organization鈥檚 existing partnerships with judges鈥 and prosecutors鈥 networks and regional courts (including the African Court on Human and People鈥檚 Rights, the Inter-American Court of Human Rights, and the Ibero-American Network of Judicial Schools), and the action of OHCHR on the ground.