Principles on Support to Media and the Information Environment

Development Cooperation Principles on Relevant and Effective Support to Media and the Information Environment

Overview

On 22 March 2024, the Development Assistance Committee (DAC) of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) adopted the Development Cooperation Principles on Relevant and Effective Support to Media and the Information Environment.

They are avalable here.

This exciting milestone follows two years of consultations among more than 200 representatives from bilateral donor agencies, implementing organisations, civil society representatives, and media development experts. The Global Forum for Media Development (GFMD), in cooperation with the Center for International Media Assistance (CIMA), has played a leading role in this process, working closely with the DAC secretariat and representatives from Sweden, Switzerland, France, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

The Principles seek to reinvigorate international support to media and the information environment, uniting the vital role of media and journalism in development and democracy, the severity of the crises facing public interest media and information integrity, emerging initiatives to improve innovation and coordination, and growing understanding of aid and development effectiveness and the impact of assistance.

What are the six Principles?

The six Principles aspire to encourage development co-operation providers to improve the relevance and effectiveness of their support to preserve, protect, and promote public interest media and information integrity in the following ways:

1. Ensure that assistance does no harm to public interest media.

2. Increase financial and other forms of support.

3. Take a whole of system perspective.

4. Strengthen local leadership and ownership.

5. Improve coordination of support.

6. Invest in knowledge, research, and learning.

How were the Principles developed?

The Principles are the successful culmination of more than two years of consultations and advocacy led by GFMD and the Centre for International Media Assistance (CIMA) in collaboration with bilateral donor agencies (including Sweden, Switzerland, France, the United Kingdom, and the United States), intergovernmental institutions (including the Media Freedom Coalition, through its Media Development Working Group and UNESCO’s IPDC), implementing organisations, civil society representatives, and media development experts.

What do the Principles aim to achieve?

They aspire to encourage development cooperation providers and other actors to improve the relevance and effectiveness of their support and policies to preserve, protect, and promote public interest media and information integrity. In doing so, they fuse the vital role of media and journalism in development and democracy, the severity of the crises facing public interest media and information integrity, emerging initiatives to improve innovation and coordination, and growing understanding of aid and development effectiveness and the impact of assistance.

GFMD and CIMA will continue to work with the DAC and other stakeholders to advance socialization and implementation of the Principles at the international, national, and local levels. This includes networking with existing processes such as the Media Freedom Coalition and the Freedom Online Coalition, leveraging events such as World Press Freedom Day and the UN Summit of the Future, and exploring opportunities for toolkits and peer learning.

For more information on the consultation process, see here.