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External Evaluation of UNESCO’s International Programme for the Development of Communication

Aida al-Kaisy, Xavier Lewis Rodriguez, Daniel Skillings

Paris; London: UNESCO; Aleph Strategies Ltd (2026), v, 97 pp.

"THE IPDC IS A UNIQUE STRUCTURE IN THE MEDIA DEVELOPMENT ECOSYSTEM. The IPDC’s core strength and unique contributions to the media development ecosystem lies in its Member State-driven intergovernmental Council decision-making body, coupled with its support to grassroots projects across the globe ... on an annual basis. Interviews consistently highlighted the strong alignment of its normative function with key requirements for a healthy media ecosystem. This includes its work on media viability, which stakeholders noted was particularly timely, coming at a moment when many independent media outlets were facing “existential threats”. The IPDC is also the only Special Account within UNESCO’s CI Sector with an explicit focus on journalism education. Interviewees further emphasised the Programme’s unique position to use its Council to hold Member States to account on issues related to journalist safety. The evaluation also generally found that the IPDC’s normative function and grassroots projects are well aligned. Grassroots projects frequently incorporate and localise UNESCO’s global normative instruments, ensuring that standards and tools are applied in contextually relevant ways. This dynamic is most evident in the area of journalist safety, where the Journalist Safety Indicators have been adapted and applied across multiple national settings. STRONG PERFORMANCE OF THE IPDC’S GRASSROOTS PROJECTS. The projects reviewed primarily contributed to improvements in knowledge, skills and improved practices across a variety of thematics. An important factor is that the IPDC effectively reaches project implementers with access to a diversity of beneficiaries – community, online and traditional media outlets, students, and marginalised groups such as some Indigenous communities in Central America or South-East Asia. Moreover, the IPDC contributes positively to UNESCO Global Priorities, including gender equality and Africa. Projects frequently address women journalists’ safety and participation, and Africa remains a major focus region. IMPROVED PROCESSES THAT ENABLED EFFICIENCY. Field Offices play a critical role in identifying proposals and implementation monitoring, while the Secretariat is widely perceived to be responsive, manage annual calls transparently and consistently, as well as provide effective backstop support to Field Offices. The latter has implemented several reforms recently to improve the efficiency of processes, including an online portal for proposals, and an IPDC/ Global Media Defence Fund (GMDF) project database. FINANCIAL SUSTAINABILITY IS A MAJOR RISK TO THE IPDC AND ITS PROJECT IMPLEMENTERS. As the only intergovernmental media development mechanism in the UN system, stakeholders interviewed underlined the importance of its continuity. However, much like other media development initiatives, funding levels have declined since 2020. This has put a strain on resources. In 2024, the Bureau received 117 project proposals but approved 39 (with additional initiatives placed on a reserve list). By comparison, the Bureau approved 86 grassroots projects in 2021. Evaluation participants also pointed to limited funding available to further enhance the IPDC’s contributions to media viability policy and uptake of journalism education curricula. While the Secretariat has the broadest donor base in comparison to UNESCO’s Multi-Donor Partnership on Freedom of Expression and Journalist Safety (MDP) and the GMDF, just four donors provided USD 1 million or more between 2018 and 2025. There is also a perceived ‘competition’ in funding between these three mechanisms. Stakeholders reported that donors often favour vehicles perceived as more flexible and faster to deploy, while the IPDC’s intergovernmental cycle can slow decisions, and politicise normative discussions. At the grassroots project level, partners described post-grant finances as vulnerable, including dependence on short-term and small-scale projects and/or projects downsizing once grants ended. The evaluation found that sustainability planning was often absent or operationally vague among grassroots (despite it being part of IPDC requirements), with plans that assumed follow-on donor funding rather than specifying how activities would be embedded in routine systems and resourced. IMPACT IN CONTEXT: The Challenges of Short-Term Projects in a Worsening Global Climate for Media Freedom While the evaluation found that IPDC interventions did contribute to gains for its beneficiaries, long-term and systematic changes are harder to demonstrate. While IPDC grassroots projects are typically short-term and small-scale and often operate in contexts that are increasingly hostile to independent media, policy and institutional change require sustained engagement over time, and the involvement of stakeholders across civil society and authorities. This points to an area that merits further exploration. The IPDC’s unique position of supporting grassroots projects globally and international media development actors creates an opportunity for the Programme to facilitate connections between stakeholders. LIMITED ABILITY TO COMMUNICATE RESULTS AND IMPACT. The IPDC Secretariat has made notable progress in developing a Results Assessment Framework, aimed at capturing the breadth of IPDC supported activities and consistent with its demand-driven approach. As a result, Performance Indicators are largely activity or output level, such as counting the number of projects implemented broken down by thematic area. The IPDC Secretariat introduced an M&E Framework in 2025 and delivered training for Field Offices and grassroots partners to support its implementation. This includes requirements for projects to include performance indicators and guidance on how to collect more outcome level changes. However, the evaluation found a number of gaps to address. Current grassroots project reporting was typically output focused rather than analytical and providing contributions to outcomes; which is a partially understandable limitation given the short implementation timelines of most projects and limited M&E capacity of some partners. The evaluation also found that Field Offices and grassroots projects likely will not have sufficient resources to implement the new M&E Framework. For example, interviews highlighted that they did not have the knowledge or time to conduct Outcome Harvesting workshops, a suggested tool to collect outcome level changes. The RAF also lacks indicators that capture outcome or impact level changes." (Key findings, pages 2-4) more

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Quadrennial Report 2022-2025: Multi-Donor Programme on Freedom of Expression and Safety of Journalists

Antonia Eser-Ruperti, Ka Kio Mok, Xu Jing, Olivier Van Bockstael (eds.)

Paris: UNESCO (2026), 63 pp.

"[...] the Multi-Donor Programme on Freedom of Expression and Safety of Journalists (MDP) has proven critical in providing long- and short-term responses to the threats against information integrity. It strengthens the rule of law through empowering judges, prosecutors, and parliamentarians in prote ... more

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Multi-Donor Programme on Freedom of Expression and Safety of Journalists: Annual Report 2023

Sylvie Coudray, Guilherme Canela De Souza Godoi, Mirta Lourenco et al.

Paris: UNESCO (2024), 67 pp.

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Support to Afghan Media Resilience to Foster Peace and Security

Paris: UNESCO (2024), 14 pp.

"Since August 2021, almost 50% of media outlets have ceased their operations in Afghanistan. An estimated 90% of women journalists have lost their jobs, with many more media workers having fled the country or been forced into hiding. Replying to a call from over hundred anonymous journalists for con ... more

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Results-based report on IPDC projects implemented in 2022-2023

Paris: International Programme for the Development of Communication (IPDC) (2024), 47 pp.

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Decisions taken at the 68th Bureau Meeting of the Intergovernmental Council of the International Programme for the Development of Communication (IPDC), 20-21 June 2024

Paris: International Programme for the Development of Communication (IPDC) (2024), 10 pp.

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68th meeting of the Bureau of the Intergovernmental Council of IPDC 20 - 21 June 2024. Item 4 of the provisional agenda: Results-based report on projects approved by the 66th meeting of the IPDC Bureau (June 2022) and Rapid-response mechanism projects implemented in 2022-2023, part II

Paris: International Programme for the Development of Communication (IPDC) (2024), 190 pp

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68th meeting of the Bureau of the Intergovernmental Council of IPDC, 20 - 21 June 2024. Item 5 of the provisional agenda: IPDC financial situation: Funds available for new projects under non-earmarked modalities, earmarked and Special Allocation modalities

Paris: International Programme for the Development of Communication (IPDC) (2024), 60 pp.

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Decisions Taken at the 67th Bureau Meeting of the Intergovernmental Council of the International Programme for the Development of Communication (IPDC), 15-16 June 2023

Paris: International Programme for the Development of Communication (IPDC) (2023), 10 pp.

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Report on the Visibility and Fundraising Strategy for IPDC

Paris: International Programme for the Development of Communication (IPDC) (2023), 11 pp.

"The IPDC Bureau at its 64th meeting (June 2020) requested the Secretariat to develop a targeted fundraising strategy in accordance with UNESCO’s overall fundraising strategy. It was first presented to the 32nd session of the Intergovernmental Council of the IPDC in November 2020. The Council then ... more

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Results-Based Report on Projects Approved by the 65th Meeting of the IPDC Bureau (June 2021) and Rapid-Response Mechanism Projects Implemented in 2021-2022, Part II

Paris: International Programme for the Development of Communication (IPDC) (2023), 356 pp.

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Report of the Intergovernmental Council of the International Programme for the Development of Communication (IPDC) on its Activities in 2022-2023

Paris: UNESCO (2023), 8 pp.

"The present report offers a summary of IPDC’s activities during the current biennium (2022-2023). It provides an overview of important decisions and initiatives of the Council, IPDC projects and the financial situation of the Programme. More detailed information is available in the latest report ... more

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Results-Based Report on IPDC Projects Implemented in 2021-2022

Paris: UNESCO; International Programme for the Development of Communication (IPDC) (2023), 40 pp.

"Since its founding in 1980, the IPDC has worked to foster and secure a healthy environment for free, pluralistic, and independent media in developing countries, countries in transition, and countries in conflict and post-conflict situations. Through this mandate, the Programme has since dedicated o ... more

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Let Free Media Thrive: Selected Stories of 4 Years of Impact of the Multi-Donor Programme on Freedom of Expression and Safety of Journalists (2018-2021)

Paris: UNESCO (2022), 18 pp.

"The stories presented here are some examples of how the Multi-Donor Programme for Freedom of Expression and Safety of Journalists (MDP) works to provide countries and their populations with the necessary tools to nurture a free and independent media. This includes promoting the adoption of policies ... more

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Results-Based Report on Projects Approved by the 64th Meeting of the IPDC Bureau (June 2020) and Implemented in 2020-2021. Part I

Paris: UNESCO (2022), 24 pp.

"This document reports on the implementation of projects approved by the 64th meeting of the IPDC Bureau (June 2020) and implemented in 2020-2021, and on projects approved as part of IPDC’s rapid response mechanism in January 2021. It also includes the implementation reports of several projects th ... more

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Draft Strategic Framework for IPDC

UNESCO (2022), 13 pp.

"The present document summarises the background to IPDC's new draft strategic framework, presented at the meeting of the 66th Bureau in June 2022. It then provides an overview of the feedback received from Member States. Finally, it proposes a revised version of the draft strategic framework, which ... more

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Principles for Effective Support to the Media Sector. Thirty-Third Session of the Intergovernmental Council of the International Programme for the Development of Communication, 24-25 November 2022, Item 10 of the Provisional Agenda

Paris: UNESCO (2022), 3 pp.

"This document offers a summary of a broad-based process underway in the wider media development community to develop principles for effective support to the media sector, and its relevance for the work of the International Programme for the Development of Communication (IPDC). The document includes ... more

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Report on the Visibility and Fundraising Strategy for IPDC

UNESCO (2022), 8 pp.

"The 64th meeting of the IPDC Bureau (June 2020) requested the Secretariat to develop a strategy to approach the private sector and civil society in accordance with UNESCO’s fundraising strategy. A targeted fundraising strategy was developed and presented to the 32nd session of the Intergovernment ... more

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Let Free Media Thrive: Stories of Impact of the Multi-Donor Programme on Freedom of Expression and Safety of Journalists

Paris: UNESCO (2021), 18 pp.

"The collection of stories presented here aims to highlight the impact of the MDP's (Multi-Donor Programme on Freedom of Expression and Safety of Journalists) MDP’s actions over the course of this challenging year. Through testimonies from beneficiaries and partners who aspire to improve freedom o ... more

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Implementation Report on Projects, Part II: Projects Approved by the 62nd Meeting of the IPDC Bureau (May 2018) and Implemented in 2018-2019

Paris: UNESCO (2020), 243 pp.

"This document reports on the implementation of projects approved by the 62nd meeting of the IPDC Bureau (May 2018) and implemented in 2018-2019. It is meant for the information of the IPDC Bureau Members and donors." (Page 1)