Affordable and Secure Digital Infrastructure for Media and Journalists (December 2025)

As part of the side-event programming of the WSIS+20 UN GA High-Level Meeting, GFMD is organising the online session ““Affordable and Secure Digital Infrastructure for Media and Journalists.”

Date: December 15, 2025

Time: 10:00-11:00 New York time / 16.00-17.00 CET

Register here: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/Seo9XWDYSJ2b9clMMAsqOA

Description

Media and journalism have long been recognized as key actors in fostering a people-centred and inclusive Information Society. The WSIS+20 Review process, and the forthcoming Outcome Document, reaffirm the essential role of independent media and journalism. The WSIS Review process also highlights the importance of public-interest infrastructure and open-technology standards as means of delivering digital services at scale and expanding social and economic opportunities for all.

Building on these core WSIS elements, and at the intersection of media independence and public-interest digital infrastructure, this session, co-organized by the Global Forum for Media Development and ARTICLE 19, aims to explore how the WSIS+20 commitments can be translated into practical actions.

As we look ahead to the implementation phase of the WSIS+20 Outcome Document, the Journalism Cloud Alliance (JCA) will be introduced to showcase a collaborative initiative designed to advance open and affordable digital tools and services for journalists and media organizations. By showcasing the JCA and other multistakeholder efforts, the session will demonstrate how WSIS commitments can be operationalized to build an inclusive, sustainable, and human-rights-based digital ecosystem.

Intended for professional media, international, regional, and local media support organizations, it will be interactive, inviting participants to reflect on WSIS public-interest infrastructure priorities in the context of strengthening media and journalism.

Speakers

• Michael J. Oghia, Project Manager, JCA

• Anna Oosterlinck, Senior Advisor, ARTICLE 19

• Bojana Kostic, Senior Digital Policy Advisor, GFMD (moderator)

Partner organizations

ARTICLE 19

Agenda

Time (in CET)	Agenda Item	Objectives / Discussion
16.00-16.05	Welcome and introduction	Introduce session goals and relevance to WSIS+20. Frame the discussion: operationalising the WSIS+20 Outcome Document to support media independence, access to information, and secure digital technologies. Introducing the speakers.
16.05-16.15	Context Setting: WSIS+20 and Digital infrastructure needs	Key provisions in the Outcome Document relevant to media, access to information, and public-interest digital infrastructure. Challenges and opportunities for affordable, interoperable, and secure infrastructure for media ecosystems.
16.15-16.25	The Journalism Cloud Alliance	The vision behind the JCA and its role in supporting open and affordable tools for journalists. Concrete examples: services, collaborative governance model, early use cases.
16.25-16.35	Recommendations to operationalise WSIS+20 Outcomes	How governments/IGOs see their role in operationalising WSIS+20 outcomes. Policy levers, funding mechanisms, and governance pathways to support secure, affordable digital infrastructure for media and journalists.
16.35-16.50	Discussion and Q&A	What are the key priorities needed to turn WSIS commitments into concrete support for the media and journalists? How can initiatives like the JCA fit into national and international digital strategies? What governance frameworks are needed to ensure security, interoperability, and human rights protections? How do we ensure affordable infrastructure for small and independent media outlets globally?
16.50-17.00	Closing remarks and key messages	Wrap up key takeaways. Point to next steps for engaging with the JCA and WSIS+20 implementation.