COP29 Climate Change Media Partnership Reporting Fellowship

Updated September 2024

CCMP COP29 Reporting Fellows Announced

The Earth Journalism Network (EJN), a project of Internews, and the Stanley Center for Peace and Security, are pleased to announce that 20 journalists have been awarded fellowships to cover the 29th UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP29), as part of the Climate Change Media Partnership (CCMP) program. The fellows selected to attend and report on COP29 in Baku, Azerbaijan, from November 9 to 24, 2024 are:

• Aleksander Gurgul (Poland)
• Anastasiia Bengard (Kyrgyzstan)
• Aramís Castro (Peru)
• Chatula Kampo Kangal (Zambia)
• Chiamaka Obiageli Enendu (Nigeria)
• Davis Buyondo (Uganda)
• Dewi Safitri (Indonesia)
• Istvan Deak (Romania)
• Jana Karasova (Czechia)
• Jhoanna Lou Enriquez Albano (Philippines)
• Jiang Yifan (China)
• Kieu Thi Thoan Thu (Vietnam)
• Liu Yi (China)
• Md Borhanul Ashekin (Bangladesh)
• Mereoni Mili (Fiji)
• Renata Maria Borges Fontanetto (Brazil)
• Selin Ugurtas (Türkiye)
• Syed Muhammad Zaki Abbas (Pakistan)
• Yangyel Lhaden (Bhutan)
• Zeina Adnan Shahla (Syria)

Rising global temperatures from the continued burning of fossil fuels imperil the 1.5°C goal of the Paris Agreement to reduce severe and irreversible damage to our planet and people. Nearly 200 countries at last year’s climate summit agreed to “transition away from fossil fuels in energy systems, in a just, orderly and equitable manner, accelerating action in this critical decade, so as to achieve net zero by 2050.” Journalists reporting at COP29, in a year which witnessed the hottest day ever recorded, will have the opportunity to observe and report on the extent to which negotiators are following through with these and other commitments.

The 20 fellows covering COP29 in Baku will participate in orientation activities, daily briefings, interviews with high-level officials, and other interactions organized by the Stanley Center and EJN to inform and facilitate quality reporting on developments and outcomes at COP29. The fellows will receive support and guidance from seasoned climate journalists affiliated with EJN’s global network of trainers.

Read the full announcement.

About CCMP

EJN, along with Panos London and the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED), formed the CCMP in 2007 to enable journalists from low- and middle-income countries to attend and report from the annual UN climate summits. Virtually every year since then, the CCMP has supported a total of more than 400 journalists to report on location from the annual UN climate summit. This year marks the sixth time the Stanley Center and EJN have collaborated on the CCMP fellowship program.

Without such support, people in low- and middle-income countries—which bear the brunt of climate change despite contributing relatively little to global emissions—might have had to rely solely on global wire services for news about UN climate negotiations. The fellowship enables these audiences to access climate information and learn how these multilateral decisions will affect them, in languages they understand and media outlets they trust.

This year, the CCMP’s global open call for applications drew a record number of more than 600 applications from climate journalists around the world. For this cohort, eligible countries included low- and middle-income countries as defined by the World Bank, those neighboring the COP host country, and countries with demonstrated need for increased reporting on climate change. (Some countries were excluded due to security concerns.) Fellows were selected by a panel of international judges following two rounds of review and interviews with shortlisted applicants.

The CCMP COP29 Reporting Fellowship program is co-organized by Internews’ EJN and the Stanley Center. Financial support for EJN has been provided by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida), the Smart Family Foundation, and the Friends Foundation.

Read the full announcement.