The Global Media Defence Fund launches 6th Call for Partnerships to Strengthen Legal Protection for Journalists

The Global Media Defence Fund is a UNESCO Multi-Partner Trust Fund under the overall umbrella of the UN Plan of Action on the Safety of Journalists and the Issue of Impunity.

Administered by UNESCO, in the past six years the Global Media Defence Fund has funded the implementation of around 170 projects around the globe, which in turn has supported over 9,000 journalists, 1,600 lawyers and 300 media organizations. It has also supported the global initiative on strategic lawsuits against freedom of expression , with the Multi-Donor Programme on Freedom of Expression and Safety of Journalists aiming to build a legal system that ensures an enabling environment for freedom of expression and to bolster the legal safety of journalists across the globe.

Over six years of implementation, the Fund has received generous financial support from Australia, Austria, Canada, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, the Netherlands (Kingdom of the), New Zealand, Serbia, Slovakia, Switzerland, and United Kingdom; as well as a private sector donor, Siemens AG.