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Feedback from key stakeholders GFMD IMPACT has proven to be a safe and neutral space for open conversation and exchange of opinions, where participants freely and openly share their challenges and dilemmas under Chatham House rules.

One of the comments made by a donor representative during a meeting on Journalism support and media development in the context of mis/disinformation in June 2021 testifies to that:

"I live with a lot of uncertainty about what we do or what we're funding and whether or not it works. Because of donor-implementor dynamics, it's not always possible to have spaces like this, to be frank, and honest with each other about failure or negligible impact of the different kinds of interventions that people are doing.” Donor

Over the past year the GFMD IMPACT team has become a trusted advisor and facilitator of policy processes, consultations, and joint initiatives.

Programmatic support for GFMD IMPACT over the 2021 pilot period came from the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC).

It is critical to deal with the relationship between donors and practitioners, as well as the knowledge and information that they accumulate during the course of their work. We must share knowledge and learning about what works and what doesn't, as well as catalogue that knowledge, in order to achieve better results and articulate those results. The GFMD IMPACT project aims to address these critical sector questions.” Mark Nelson, Senior Director, Center for International Media Assistance (CIMA)

The GFMD IMPACT team has established a continuous communication and partnership with The International Association for Media and Communication Research (IAMCR) Media Sector Development Working Group.

"GFMD Impact is providing a much-needed space for dialogue, critical reflection and community building for the media development sector. The IAMCR Media Sector Development Working Group is grateful for our partnership with GFMD Impact. Especially during the pandemic time period, GFMD has come up with great events, kept the lines of communication going and fostered a sense of direction by providing servant leadership that's contributed to the growth and well-being of its members." Susan Abbott, Co-Chair, Media Sector Development Working Group at IAMCR

Another indication of the success of GFMD’s efforts with IMPACT was when UNDP Senior Advisor, Information Integrity, Niamh Hanafin reached out to GFMD asking us to connect her with academics and researchers Susan Abbott and Katerina Tsetsura, in order explore the M&E issue for countering disinformation work further. This was a direct result of UNDP attending the GFMD IMPACT meeting on disinformation held in June 2021 where Abbott and Tsetsura presented a draft paper produced for GFMD IMPACT.

“SDC supports the GFMD IMPACT project because the media development and journalism support sector requires a better long-term mechanism for exchanging evidence about what works and formulate policy guidance in order to respond effectively to this rapidly changing and challenging field. The Global Forum for Media Development, we believe, is best positioned to address these issues on a global scale.” – Melina Papageorgiou, Governance Advisor, Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation