GFMD statement to the Fourth Preparatory Committee Session

Comments from the Global Forum for Media Development to Fourth Preparatory Conference of FFD4

GFMD welcomes -- in the “first draft” of the outcome document -- the recognition of the media sector as a key stakeholder and contributor to sustainable development, particularly in fostering transparency, accountability, and good-governance practices. We also welcome the reaffirmation in this draft of the critical role of the SDGs and the 2030 Agenda, the Pact for the Future and other references to fundamental freedoms established United Nations founding documents.

We also fully endorse the comments by UNESCO that were submitted to the co-chairs on April 10, which suggest specific wording and additions that will strengthen and enhance the Outcome Document. Today, we would like to emphasize three areas that we feel deserve further enhancement in the text.

Point 1: The FFD4 framework should reaffirm and strengthen commitments to transparent, inclusive governance, fundamental freedoms, and trustworthy information systems—central to achieving sustainable development and the success of the FFD4 agreement. We endorse the additional sentence proposed by UNESCO to paragraph 13, which makes the point that free, independent, and pluralistic media will enhance FFD4’s commitments to transparency and good governance.

Point 2: Member states should recognize and support the vital role of independent public interest media in promoting transparency, accountability, and public engagement in development financing. This includes enhancing journalists’ capacity to report on financial processes, fostering financial and statistical literacy, and ensuring accessible, reliable information for all.

In addition, we welcome the recognition in paragraph 24(b) of the role that media and civil society play in exposing illicit financial flows (IFFs), but we would propose that this paragraph be expanded to read:

We will support the role that the media and civil society play in exposing IFFs and will support efforts to strengthen the capacity and institutional infrastructure of professional journalism organizations as well as civil society in carrying out this role.

Point 3: Member states should ensure that investments in digital public infrastructure are transparent, inclusive, and rights-based, with robust safeguards to protect human rights, promote accountability, and strengthen civic resilience against digital information manipulation. To this end, we endorse UNESCO’s proposals for insertions in Paragraphs 52 and 54, which reinforce these human rights and user-centered safeguards.

Thank you.

Mark Nelson on behalf of Global Forum for Media Development