WAN-IFRA announces major partnership with Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs

WAN-IFRA will expand its media freedom activities in 7 countries throughout East Central Africa and Southeast Asia, thanks to a 2-year renewed partnership of NOK10,000,000 (€1,000,000) with the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The programme, titled ‘Strengthening Independent Media’, will focus on the three core themes of gender equality, safety, and stability.

“Now more than ever, citizens need access to trusted news sources. This programme will support the important work being undertaken by media throughout East Central Africa and Southeast Asia”, said Vincent Peyrègne, WAN-IFRA CEO. “Our Norwegian members have consistently championed WAN-IFRA’s work to promote media freedom globally, and we are gratified that we may continue to amplify this work through the support from the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.”

The Strengthening Independent Media programme will allow for an expansion of the sector-leading Women in News (WIN) programme into the new markets of The Philippines and Indonesia, while building on existing programme activities to increase women’s voices and leadership in the news in Myanmar, Vietnam, Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda.

As with all WAN-IFRA media freedom programmes, a robust capacity building framework that aims to help media partners build toward stability, including navigating the transition to digital, right sizing the business, and identifying ways to monetize digital content, will be offered to programme partners in each target country.

Safety trainings will take on the form of practical training and direct assistance to strengthen journalists’ knowledge and preparedness as well as organisational responses to threats.

“This new agreement marks nearly a decade of cooperation between the Foreign Ministry and WAN-IFRA, with MBL playing an active role in supporting this relationship in addition to project activities on the ground,” said MBL CEO Randi ØGrey. “WAN-IFRA’s ability to draw upon knowledge and expertise directly from the industry to support media in transitional and fragile states sets a standard that works and really makes a difference.”

Programme activities will complement existing media freedom initiatives supported by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida) and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark.

ABOUT WAN-IFRA WAN-IFRA is the World Association of News Publishers. Its mission is to protect the rights of journalists and publishers around the world to operate independent media. WAN-IFRA provides its members with expertise and services to innovate and prosper in a digital world and perform their crucial role in society. With formal representative status at the United Nations, UNESCO and the Council of Europe, it derives its authority from its global network of leading news publishing companies and technology entrepreneurs, and its legitimacy from its 60 national association members representing 18,000 publications in 120 countries. www.wan-ifra.org

ABOUT WAN-IFRA PRESS FREEDOM INITIATIVES In its primary mission to strengthen and support the independent press, WAN-IFRA’s global engagements are aimed at defending press freedom and promoting sustainable, financially viable media, and are aligned under three main strategic mandates: Advocacy, Media Development, and Media Sustainability. WAN-IFRA applies a dual approach to supporting media freedom: It addresses political and structural constraints to media freedom through advocacy, and applies development to strengthen the capacity and networks of the media and their representative institutions.