The GFMD supporting framework was first set up in Brussels in 2007. Assisting the Chair-in-Office are a number of actors that include a Chair’s Taskforce (comprised of national and international experts), a network of country focal points, the Troika (comprised of the current, past and future Chair), the Steering Group (SG) (comprised of a limited number of governments, and the Friends of the Forum (FOF) (comprised. At the Manila GFMD, the Friends of the Forum decided to establish the GFMD Support Unit which now provides the Chair-in-Office with its administrative, financial, and logistical assistance, and currently administers the GFMD Platform for Partnerships .

In all the GFMD meetings, the Chair's Taskforce has supported the Chair with the substantive preparations for the meeting; the Steering Group has provided political and conceptual support to the process and the Chair; the Friends of the Forum have helped with governance of the process through the country focal points; and the Troika of past, present and future Chairs has provided strategic guidance.