This includes advocacy campaigns; the promotion of societal behavioral change; practical public information services (on health, education, agriculture), with multilateral specialists grouped around the UNDP-UNESCO-World Bank-backed Global “C4D” Forum. It includes  cross-cutting media campaigning and training work on specific development topics, from gender rights to climate change to electoral reform. UNDP has been a leading practitioner of C4D, from its successful global advocacy for the MDGs over the past eight years.

UNDP strongly supports the development of independent news media as an integral part of its mandate to enhance society’s democratic principles. Globally, regionally and nationally, UNDP contributes to the training of national journalists and to the strengthening of legal and institutional frameworks which allow independent journalism to flourish.

Working with partners in the UN system and the international journalism community, UNDP is still to do more to encourage the growth of vibrant, self-sustaining, professional news media organizations and institutions that support this aim. In recent years, there has been a steadily increasing demand for media development support. Donors and media organizations have matched this with a growing willingness to provide funds and other resources.

UNDP’s role as the leader of UN governance efforts makes us a natural partner for these activities. Prior initiatives as UNDP involvement in the establishment of RTK, Media Center, Minority Media Project, Minority Talk Show, Training of Journalists, Transparency and Access to Information and capacity building for the Association of Professional Journalists are just some of the examples which call for a more systematic future plan on media development. UNDP’s work on media development includes:

• Building independent news agencies and pubic service broadcasters networks in post-conflict countries 

• Supporting specialized training to enhance professional skills and understanding of development issues

• Supporting reforms to regulatory structures and other aspects of the enabling environment for media

• Programs on media and e-governance, access to information, and anti-corruption 

• Collaborating with UNESCO and other UN partners to develop policy guidance and measuring tools on media development for UN funds and agencies

• Partnerships with media organizations to provide content qualified professionals for training programmes  

• Seeking out private and public funding to finance national and regional media development projects