Below is a draft agenda which will be revised and speakers added to based on your feedback in the survey between now and Monday 28th April.
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09:00-09:30
Welcome and presentation of the agenda
09:30-10:00
Presentation of mapping of funding in the MENA region
10:00-11:30
With every crisis an opportunity: Regional perspectives on how the sector can evolve and adapt in response to the funding crisis
11:30-11:45
Coffee break
11:45 - 12:30
Regional and national journalism funds: challenges and perspectives?
12:30-13:30
Lunch Break
13:30-14:50
What are donors and international organisations going to do differently in response to the funding crisis and the proposals from national and regional actors
14:50-15:10
Coffee Break
15:10-16:30
Palestine, Gaza, Sudan and other crises: Improving information sharing, coordination and advocacy.
16:30- 16:40
Conclusion and next steps
GFMD’s report found that despite determined efforts by many donors and practitioners, the media sector remains highly vulnerable. Rapid shifts in geopolitical priorities, restrictive legal frameworks, and funding uncertainty—most notably the 2025 U.S. executive stop-work order—have exposed the fragility and imbalance within existing funding models.
Format:
GFMD’s Tom Law will present the findings.
This will be followed by an opportunity for participants to ask questions and react to the findings.
Key resources:
Format:
Based on responses to the survey the organisers will identify representatives from organisations based in the region to present their perspectives, case studies and proposals. Question that participants will be asked to respond to will include:
What model of media development would achieve the biggest impact?
What are the obstacles and challenges that need to be overcome to achieve that model?
What are the actions that other stakeholders (donors, international organizations and others) can take to support this?
Key resources:
Format: Based on responses to the survey the organisers will ask existing, new and planned journalism funds in the region will be asked to present their progress, impact and challenges.
Key resources:
This is a shared working document, please request access in order to view and update it. Those active in the journalism funds in the region are requested to update the worksheet in advance of the meeting
Format:
Based on responses to the survey the organisers ask representatives from donors and international organisations to give their organisations vision of the future of their partnerships in the region and the practical/operational steps they are committing to.
Speakers will also be asked to engage with the suggestions and ideas put forward by national and regional actors in the morning sessions.
Regional and national actors will then be invited to respond to the contributions by donors and international partners, and consider whether they live up to their needs and expectations.
Key resources:
Format:
Based on responses to the survey the organisers ask representatives from coordination mechanisms to present the status and progress of their initiatives, including how well they are engaging with other mechanisms and processes inside and outside the media development sector.
Participants will then be invited to suggest ways that they could support (financially or via engagement of their organisation) the existing initiatives.
(Please also read the )
(March 27, 2025)
(March 12, 2025)
GFMD has commissioned , designed to inform efforts to advocate for, design and build journalism funds around the world:
– a policy paper looking at the worldwide state of the field of national funds for journalism, authored by Sameer Padania and Francesca Silvani of Macroscope. .
– a policy brief focused on funds that governments set up to support journalism within their own countries, authored by Anya Schiffrin and Brigitte Alfter. .
(March 27, 2025)
(March 12, 2025)