After working with it on earlier projects, WAN-Ifra has persuaded Norway's foreign affairs ministry to back its media freedom efforts in Asia and Africa with another nine million Norwegian kroner (Euros 1 million).

The three-year agreement continues support of media freedom activities in central east Africa and southeast Asia, where WAN-Ifra has been working to increase women's leadership and voices in the news in Kenya, Malawi and Tanzania, and strengthen independent media in Cambodia, Myanmar and Vietnam.

The partnership began with a cooperation with Norwegian media businesses' association MBL in 2013, and WAN-Ifra chief executive Vincent Peyregne says it is testament to the group's "unique ability" to engage with media at a global level: "It is also a shining example of what can be achieved when WAN-Ifra collaborates closely with our members," he says. "We are delighted to be able to continue the good work that we've begun in these regions."

The Media Freedom and Democracy Programme aims to build strong independent media that support democratic development, hold powers to account, and promote human rights, with an emphasis on gender equality. It achieves this through two distinct projects under one framework: Media Professionals Programme South East Asia, and, Women in News: Central-East Africa. Both programmes apply mentoring, coaching and networking tactics alongside traditional skills development to promote financial sustainability, editorial quality and gender equality within programme media partners.

Pictured: Participants in a recent event in Yangon, Myanmar