What’s happening?

Brussels, April 2022 – Media4Democracy and the INTPA G1 Human Rights and Democracy Team today launched the Media4Democracy Podcast – a series of interviews with six leading international experts in the field of media freedom, independence and sustainability.

Malé, December 2021 — Media4Democracy, working with the EU Delegation to Sri Lanka and Maldives, has completed its fourth and final Fellowship Programme to strengthen leaders of media institutions in Maldives.

Bogota, December 2021 – Media4Democracy experts briefed representatives of the EU Delegation to Colombia and 11 EU Member States in October 2021 on recommendations for countering the impact of mis-and disinformation in congressional and presidential elections in 2022.

Brazzaville, November 2021 — The EU Delegation to Congo (Brazzaville) supported by Media4Democracy, has produced a timely brochure – Media and Elections – as a contribution to continuing EU efforts to strengthen the ability of independent media to support free and fair elections.

Maputo, September 2021 – Media4Democracy, in close collaboration with the EU Delegation to Mozambique, has completed an extensive sequence of activities to support efforts to better align two draft media laws with international standards prior to renewed consideration by the Assembly of the Republic of Mozambique.

Maputo, September 2021 – Media4Democracy, in close collaboration with the EU Delegation to Mozambique, has completed an extensive sequence of activities to support efforts to better align two draft media laws with international standards prior to renewed consideration by the Assembly of the Republic of Mozambique.

Latin American & Caribbean (LAC), 10 March 2021 – As media actors across the LAC region confront increasing threats, more than 60 EU staff from regional EU Delegations and HQ participated in a webinar organised by Media4Democracy and INTPA (formerly DEVCO).

Brazzaville, January 2021 – Strengthening the ability of independent media to support fair and peaceful elections was the focus of a 28 January 2021 seminar convened by the EU Delegation to Congo (Brazzaville), with support from Media4Democracy – just weeks before the country holds presidential elections on 21 March.

Brussels, October 2020 – The International Day to End Impunity for Crimes Against Journalists (IDEI) will be marked 2 November amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, a period in which threats and detentions of journalists have increased as governments across continents strive to restrict open reporting or blame journalists for the flow of misinformation.

Global, 20 October 2020 — Chiara Adamo, Head of Unit DEVCO B1, and the distinguished Filipino/American journalist Maria Ressa opened the formal launch of the Media4Democracy EU Delegation Handbook: Protecting Safety of Journalists, Protecting Freedom of Expression.

Copenhagen/Maldives/Sri Lanka, September 2020 – Media4Democracy has launched the fourth round of its Fellowship programme – Strengthening Institutional Leaders in Support of Media Pluralism – with the EU Delegation to Sri Lanka and Maldives, having made significant COVID-context adaptations.

Brussels, July 2020 – Media4Democracy has released a comprehensive guide to assist EU Delegations and EU Member States in protecting the safety of journalists and other media actors in diverse contexts, at a time when the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic are exacerbating existing threats to freedom of expression around the world.

Brussels, June 2020 – Media4Democracy convened a series of live webinars for past and current Fellows of its Strengthening Institutions in Support of Media Pluralism Fellowship Programme.

Brussels, May 2020 – Media4Democracy launched a series of meet-the-expert webinars – Defending Independent Media During COVID-19 – for EU Delegations to learn about and discuss threats to independent media and freedom of expression, which are greatly exacerbated during the pandemic. 

Brussels, 3 May 2020 – EU Delegations marking World Press Freedom Day (WPFD) 2020 amidst the global coronavirus pandemic were encouraged to support activities online, at a time when many countries are in lockdown or operating under strict social distancing orders.

Kyrgyz Republic, April 2020 – Five Media4Democracy Fellows have made significant progress in implementing new initiatives – both individually and collectively – and have introduced changes within their own media organisations to promote independent and plural media in Kyrgyzstan.

Brussels, March 2020 – The European Union fight against disinformation and associated support for Media Literacy is essential, as the world confronts the coronavirus pandemic and the spread of associated disinformation flooding social media and the internet.

Brussels, 23 February 2020 – Six Fellows from Maldives have been selected for the fourth round of M4D’s Fellowship programme that aims to empower future leaders of institutions that underpin media pluralism.

Brussels, February 2020 – M4D has launched technical assistance to the EU Delegation to Mongolia to support access to information as fundamental to freedom of expression and media pluralism and in support of strengthening democracy and development.

Brussels, 12 – 13 February 2020 – M4D and EU staff responsible for strengthening human rights and democracy met in Brussels to discuss how EU Delegations can confront threats to independent media and freedom of expression, particularly in the context of digitalisation.

Brussels, 5 – 7 February 2020 – Media4Democracy has launched a package of technical assistance for EU Delegations to strengthen the safety and security of journalists in Latin America, a region where journalists and other media actors are under extreme threat in many countries.

Brussels, December 2019 – Media4Democracy has launched a Webinar to empower EU Delegations to understand the EU Human Rights Guidelines on Freedom of Expression Online and Offline and to operationalise them more effectively in each unique context.

Sri Lanka, November 2019 – Media4Democracy carried out a two-week mission to Sri Lanka in October identifying ways the EU Delegation can help strengthen freedom of expression there, and to work with the EU Delegation to finalising parallel work already underway for Maldives.

Rwanda, November 2019 – Media4Democracy completed in August a second, six-month Fellowship programme that provided training and mentoring to leaders of media institutions in Rwanda.

Burkina Faso, October 2019 – In a sequence of meetings, M4D Experts led stakeholder discussions and supported the Delegation to Burkina Faso and Member States to review recommended actions to strengthen media in support of gender equality in the country.

Comoros, September 2019 – Media4Democracy has completed a two-week mission to the Union of Comoros, mapping the media sector to identify ways to strengthen freedom of expression and promote media development.

Copenhagen, September 2019 – Five Fellows from Kyrgyzstan are starting a fellowship programme in Denmark. The programme aims to build their skills to serve as change agents to strengthen media pluralism and freedom of expression in their home country.

Rwanda, August 2019 – The EU Ambassador to Rwanda, Nicola Bellomo, met with five Media4Democracy Fellows at the close of a programme designed to strengthen them as leaders of institutions promoting media pluralism in Rwanda.

Brussels, May 2019 – Media4Democracy showcased its work at EU Cooperation Days 2019 where Senior Cooperation Officers from EU Delegations worldwide as well as NEAR and DEVCO Headquarter staff came to Brussels to address this year’s theme ‘Delivering what we promised and preparing for the future’.

Maldives, May 2019 – Media4Democracy has completed a two-week in-field assessment of the Maldives media sector.

Brussels, May 2019 – WPFD marked globally on 3 May focuses on ‘Media for Democracy: Journalism and Elections in Times of Disinformation’. The theme selected by UNESCO for the 26th annual WPFD addresses the current challenges faced by media – offline and online.

Denmark, April 2019 – Five young leaders of media institutions in Rwanda have completed an intensive fellowship programme in Copenhagen and returned home to apply their new skills as the country marks the 25th anniversary of the Rwandan genocide.

Brussels, March 2019 – M4D met with representatives of more than 20 Delegations to discuss the importance of access to information during the annual EIDHR Focal Point meeting in Brussels.

Malaysia, March 2019 – The EUD to Malaysia with M4D marked International Women’s Day 2019 by convening a cross-sectoral meeting in Kuala Lumpur considering actions that can be taken at the convergence of media support and strengthening of gender equality.

Brussels, March 2019 – Media and Information Literacy has become an essential skill for citizens and a prerequisite for an informed and empowered citizenship. It is also among the central solutions to tackle the spread of disinformation.

Kyrgyz Republic, March 2019 – M4D completed work to identify ways to strengthen freedom of expression and independent media in Kyrgyzstan, a country with comparatively pluralistic media within Central Asia, yet restricted by lingering media institutional, professionalism and financial challenges.

Tanzania, February 2019 – Four leaders of media institutions have completed an intensive fellowship, building their knowledge and skills to serve as change agents to strengthen media pluralism in Tanzania, in an environment where the space for free media is shrinking.

Rwanda, March 2019 – Five Rwandan media professionals identified as leaders in a position to strengthen the institutions that underpin independent media have been selected to participate in the M4D Fellowship.

Malaysia, October 2018 – The EUD to Malaysia is seeking ways to support the EU, Member States and national and international players to strengthen Malaysia’s checks and balances by supporting the growth of media pluralism and expanding FoE.

Brussels, February 2019 – M4D has released a comprehensive guide to support EUDs’ actions to strengthen access to information as a fundamental right and as a promoter of democracy, good governance and human development.

Brussels, November 2018 – For the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists the EU drew attention to the widespread dangers faced by journalists and how often perpetrators of crimes and violence against journalists remain unpunished.

Indonesia, October 2018 – The EU Delegation and Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia hosted a two-day seminar in Jakarta from 17 to 18 October with support from Media4Democracy.

Brussels, October 2018 – How Stereotypes in Media and the Information and ICT Gender Gaps Limit Women and Girls Empowerment.

Rwanda, September 2018 – M4D is working with the EUD to Rwanda to identify the most effective ways to support the media sector, particularly media institutions, to contribute to good governance and development in Rwanda.

Brussels, September 2018 -To mark the 28 September International Day for Universal Access to Information (IDUAI), M4D is releasing a social media advocacy campaign “Access to Information Changes People’s Lives”. 

Indonesia, September 2018 – The October event will bring together European and Indonesian experts, media, civil society and government bodies to consider ways to tackle online hate speech and disinformation.

Denmark, September 2018 – M4D and the EUD to Tanzania have launched a fellowship program to strengthen the leadership skills of emerging leaders working in organisations at the forefront of promoting and protecting media pluralism and freedom in Tanzania.

Botswana, May 2018 – M4D and its partner EPD are collaborating with the EUD to Botswana to strengthen the local media sector, particularly media institutions, to drive democracy.

Zambia, June 2018 – M4D and ARTICLE 19 have completed support to the EU Delegation to Zambia to identify priorities for strengthening freedom of expression and media pluralism.

Brussels, May 2018 – The passage of an Act is just the first step in a change in societal and administrative culture that the right of access to information implies.

Ghana, May 2018 – This year’s World Press Freedom Day global celebration, held on 3 May in Accra, provided the EU Delegation to Ghana with the opportunity to promote the right of access to information.

Brussels, May 2018 – Media4Democracy and several EUDs are piloting three standardised “packages’ of technical assistance designed to enhance EUDs’ support for freedom of expression and media pluralism.

Brussels, May 2018 – Indonesia is entering a very important election period until mid-2019. The dissemination of accurate information within the public sphere is being threatened by serious distortions.

Tanzania, April 2018 – Media4Democracy and the EU Delegation to Tanzania launched a pilot Fellowship initiative for talented group of media actors.

Indonesia, April 2018 – The EU Delegation to Indonesia sponsored a seminar on hate speech called Society’s Survival Kit in the Post-Truth World organised by the Universitas Indonesia during its Communication week 2018.

Ghana, May 2018 – The Center For European Studies of the University of Ghana will host a lecture-debate on ‘Press Freedom, Freedom of Expression, and Access to Information: International obligations & current challenges for Ghana.’

Brussels, April 2018 – Freedom of expression and freedom of the press are under increasing pressure around the world, with global press freedom falling sharply in the past decade.

Brussels, April 2018 – Media4Democracy will participate in a lunchtime panel debate on What the international community needs to focus on to better support and protect press and media freedom.

Honduras, March 2018 – As part of the EUD’s policy to strengthen access to information in Honduras, 30 journalists from newspapers in Tegucigalpa received in-house training in data journalism, access to information and data visualisation.

The Gambia, February 2018 – M4D joined the inaugural meeting of The Gambia’s Freedom of Information Coalition in Banjul. This newly formed civil society, human rights and media stakeholder group is committed to supporting the adoption of access to information legislation.

The Gambia, February 2018 – The report FoE and Media Pluralism in The Gambia comes one year after a democratically elected government took power with a strong commitment to media pluralism and access to information.

Honduras, July 2017 – Media actors in Honduras were given insights and guidance on how to use data mining techniques to support their journalism thanks to a Media4Democracy training event in July.

The Gambia, October 2017 – M4D is supporting the EU Delegation to The Gambia in mapping out the complex information systems that influence free expression, open information and media pluralism in the country.

Brussels, November 2017 – M4D delivered its first training workshop for EU Delegations in Brussels in November, focusing on ways to incorporate media and freedom of expression actions more effectively into EU development programmes.

Brussels, September 2017 – As part of the EU4Democracy campaign from 15 September to 15 October 2017, Media4Democracy helped develop a package of advocacy materials to support EU Delegation activities.

Brussels, May 2017 – Media4Democracy developed an advocacy package for use by EU Delegations worldwide and took part in the UNESCO WPFD conference in Jakarta, Indonesia.