Deadline: September 15, 2022.

Internews’ Earth Journalism Network (EJN) is pleased to announce a new fellowship for journalists interested in attending – and reporting from – the UN Convention on Biological Diversity in December of 2022.

CONFERENCE

Delegates from 195 nations will gather at the upcoming 15th meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP15) to the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity, to be held in Montreal, Canada from December 7 to 19, 2022.

This COP is a particularly important one, as Parties look to adopt the “Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework” which has been much-delayed and rescheduled following the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The need for urgent action is clear: The deepening biodiversity crisis, often described as the “sixth mass extinction”, is characterized by a species extinction rate estimated to be ~1000 times higher than natural extinction rates. Scientists have long warned these losses will lead to a catastrophic collapse of the “natural ecosystems we rely upon to survive”, and the window of opportunity to curb this decline is rapidly closing. 

The Framework – once agreed upon in Montreal – should outline what countries need to do, individually and collectively, in the next decade and beyond, to achieve the CBD’s overall vision of “living in harmony with nature” by 2050. Meetings of the Parties to the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety and the Nagoya Protocol on Access and Benefit-sharing will also take place concurrently.

ELIGIBILITY

To be eligible for the fellowship, the applicant must:  

• Be a professional journalist from or representing an established media house and reporting from a low- or middle-income country. EJN will offer scholarships to journalists from the countries listed here. 
• Have previous experience reporting on environmental issues.
• Be available to arrive in Montreal by December 5, 2022 and commit to staying to cover the full two weeks of the COP and participate in fellowship activities.
• Provide a letter of support from an editor or media outlet, committing to publish or broadcast any stories produced as a result of this fellowship. This is expected of both staffers and freelancers.   
• Submit samples of their work, which can be uploaded as documents or web links. Work samples can be in any language as long as they are accompanied by a short English synopsis. Clips related to biodiversity issues are preferred.   

Note: You’ll be asked to upload these supporting documents once you start the application process, so please have them handy. 

BENEFITS

Eight journalists will be selected for the fellowship. In the leadup to COP15, fellows will receive resources and tools to help prepare for reporting at the conference. While in Montreal, fellows will participate in a series of specially designed activities, including an orientation session with biodiversity experts on the key issues at this COP, daily briefings and interviews with high-level officials. They will also be mentored by EJN trainers, who are senior journalists with experience in covering UN summits. Trainers will offer valuable insight into the deliberations happening on the ground, and share feedback and guidance as needed to support Fellows’ story production. Fellows will also engage with their cohort and exchange ideas for effective reporting on the issues under negotiation.  

• Format and language of publication: Journalists may produce stories in print, online, radio or broadcast formats. Stories produced as a result of this fellowship can be in any language. They ask that fellows provide summarizes of their stories in English and translate at least one of their stories into English so it can be shared with a wider audience.  
• Acknowledgement of support: They fully respect journalists’ editorial independence, and throughout the conference journalists are free to report as they see fit. They do ask, however, that published stories and/or broadcasts disclose EJN support by including this tagline: “The journalist was awarded a fellowship by Internews’ Earth Journalism Network.”  
• Republication rights: Those who are awarded grants are free to publish or broadcast stories produced as a result of the fellowship first in their affiliated media as long as Internews’ EJN, its partners and the grant funders are also given rights to edit, republish, broadcast and distribute them freely.  

FUNDING

• EJN will cover non-refundable economy-class airfare, accommodation, meals, travel insurance, and transportation costs to participate in the fellowship.
• Organizers will also reimburse meals and other transport expenses acquired in transit, including COVID testing; facilitate the press accreditation process; and provide logistical support relating to the trip. 

OFFICIAL LINK