The 2030 Agenda, with its Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), provides a vision for an integrated and sustainable approach to development. This note argues that the SDGs, and especially SDG16, provide a critical entry point through which an independent, professional, diverse and pluralist media, operating in a safe environment, can contribute to the progressive vision articulated in the 2030 Agenda.

Additionally, the principles underlying Agenda 2030, including the need for inclusive multi-stakeholder approaches; partnerships, accountability (through open monitoring and reporting) and the imperative to 'leave no-one behind' provide important entry points for media actors to engage with broader development interventions for enhanced impact. International actors can help promote this by supporting media development, including encouraging national media actors to engage with such processes.

This note was prepared by UNDP’s Oslo Governance Centre, and UNESCO’s Division for Freedom of Expression and Media Development, as a contribution to the discussion at the meeting “Confronting the Crisis in Independent Media: Strategic Approaches for International Donors” 31 Jan – 1 Feb, 2019, Paris. The views contained do not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations or its Member States.