Principles for effective mediadev Belgrade (April '22)

Consultations on the principles for effective media development were organised in Belgrade, Serbia on April 14, 2022.

Background

The meeting was part of the GFMD and CIMA global efforts to set general principles for a more effective approach to media development, which is also taking into account the needs of the local players.

Local organisations welcomed the opportunity to discuss the principles and be involved in global discussions.

“What you are doing on the topic of improving professional debates is so important, I believe that it’s a high time for the media profession to have, in a way, common views and to provoke thoughts on certain topics that are fantastically important”, local donor representative.

Media scene and donor assistance in Serbia

Media and donors in Serbia have long standing experience. First, media assistance programmes were launched back in the nineties during the civil wars in the Balkans. During the last decades they have been continuously implemented, although the scope of the assistance, its value and modalities, have been changing.

Today, the Serbian media scene is defined as politically and economically captured. In the total value of the media market international donors are participating with around 5%. They are providing a lifeline for a small number of the remaining independent media organisations that are working on the oversaturated market with more than 2,400 registered outlets. These media have restrained access to other funding opportunities, including both state assistance and commercial advertising.

Discussion was centred on three questions:

• How to improve donor strategies in the region to be more responsive to media development challenges

• How to better utilise local knowledge and cooperation for the more effective media support

• How to align digital governance and regulatory framework with interests of media

Attendance

local media representatives	local donor representatives	intergovernmental organisations	independent consultants	media development and international assistance implementers
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