Global Media Defence Fund
The Global Media Defence Fund supports local, regional and global not-for-profit organizations working to bolster journalists’ legal protection and/or enhance media freedom through relevant investigative journalism and strategic litigation. Organizations can apply for funding by submitting proposals to the Fund’s annual Calls for Partnerships. The Fund is administered by UNESCO and helps advancing its work to #ProtectJournalists and #DefendMediaFreedom.
Our Actions
The Global Media Defence Fund supports specialized not-for-profit organizations to undertake or upscale projects that:
- Foster international legal cooperation and the sharing & implementation of good practices to promote the defense of journalists under attack;
- Reinforce the operationalization of national protection mechanisms and peer support networks to ensure journalists’ rapid access to legal assistance, bolster their defense and enhance their safety, taking into account the gendered nature of the threats against them;
- Support investigative journalism that contributes to reduced impunity for crimes against journalists; and to enhancing the safety of those conducting this line of work; and
Enhance structures for fostering strategic litigation in order to protect environments where the legal frameworks are conducive to an independent, free, and pluralistic media ecosystem.
In Numbers
Global Media Defence Fund
The Global Media Defence Fund supports not-for-profit civil society organizations working on the ground to implement innovative programming for enhancing media protection and improving the access of journalists to specialized and gender-sensitive legal assistance. Administered by UNESCO, the Fund was established thanks to initial donations by the governments of the United Kingdom and Canada. This Fund is one of the outcomes of the Global Campaign for Media Freedom, and contributes to advancing the UN Plan of Action on the Safety of Journalists and the Issue of Impunity.