UNEP-AWiM ENVIRONMENTAL JOURNALISM MEDIA CAMPAIGN
Background
Environmental issues, and especially their gendered perspectives, are still widely underreported in Africa. Some of the gaps for many journalists include; the availability of resources and opportunities to carry out deep investigative work, the lack of skill and knowledge to report competently on environmental issues and access to data and sources necessary for good reporting. As a response, African Women in Media (AWiM) proposes a 6-months media project in partnership with UNEP to mitigate these gaps.
The project is underpinned by the African Green Stimulus Program and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, which aims to enhance the resources to upscale and enhance the implementation of existing climate change initiatives. It will focus on environmental stories out of Africa in the critical areas outlined in the AGSP. These include Air Quality, Biodiversity, Eco-tourism, Land Degradation, Climate Action, The Blue Economy, Food Security, Water conservation, Renewable Energy, Smart Cities and Information, Communication & Technology.
About the African Green Stimulus Program
The African Green Stimulus Programme (AGPS) is an innovative and sustainable, African-led initiative developed to support the Continent’s recovery response to the devastating socio-economic and environmental impacts of the COVID-19 Pandemic. The Programme provides an overarching framework and online system which consolidates and coordinates existing and new Green Economy and Climate Change initiatives. AGPS is intended to be dynamic and responsive in its support to African countries’ attainment of Africa’s Agenda 2063 aspirations, relevant Sustainable Development Goals and Paris Agreement targets. It will deliver impactful at scale, recovery interventions whilst transforming and catalyzing sustainable development towards a low-carbon developmental trajectory by 2030.’
About African Women in Media
African Women in Media is a non-governmental organisation with the vision ‘one-day African women will have equal access to representation and opportunities in media industries and media content’. AWiM aims to contribute to the creation of enabling environments for African women who work in media industries and to change the way African women are represented in media content. It does this through training, research, advocacy, and partnerships. Through AWiM events, we create opportunities for knowledge exchange, building networks, and economic empowerment of women in media.
About the Reporting grant
AWiM is aligned with the AGSP overarching goal of enhancing action for environmental sustainability in Africa and its advocacy goals of enhancing the capacity of media professionals in disseminating appropriate African Green Recovery messages and key successes. We invite freelance journalists across the continent to pitch story ideas that align with the African Green Stimulus Program and under the following categories:
- Air Quality.
- Biodiversity.
- Eco-tourism.
- Land Degradation.
- Climate Action.
- The Blue Economy.
- Food Security.
- Water conservation.
- Renewable Energy.
- Smart Cities and Information.
- Communication & Technology.
Eligibility Criteria
- Applications are open to freelance journalists covering environmental issues in Africa. You must provide a demonstrable plan for publication and a letter of interest from an editor
- Stories can be produced in English or local languages. However, applicants who intend to write or produce stories in their local language need to also include an English translation.
- Successful applicants are expected to put these grants toward travel for field reporting, research, and production.
- We expect that stories will be produced with equipment the applicant already has access to (including cameras, drones, lighting, tripods, etc.) and will not consider budgets that heavily focus on producing new supplies.
- Those who are awarded grants are free to publish or broadcast their stories in other media as long as AWiM and our partners are also given rights to edit, publish, broadcast, and distribute them freely.
To apply for this grant, please click here
