Internews’ Earth Journalism Network (EJN) is thrilled to announce the awardees of our fellowship to attend and report from the 17th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD COP17), to be held in Yerevan, Armenia from October 19-30 this year.

With support from EJN’s SYMBIOTIC Project and Biodiversity Media Initiative, in partnership with NABU and GSCC, journalists selected for the fellowship will attend the full duration of the CBD COP17 and report on progress to achieve the targets laid out in the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF).

The CBD COP17 will be the first biodiversity COP to meet past the halfway mark toward the objectives set at CBD COP15 in 2022. It will mark the first global review of progress toward the framework and assess if the world is on track to meet its 23 targets, covering such topics as sustainable use of biodiversity, species extinction, ecosystem health, benefit sharing and finance, all to be achieved by 2030.

Taking place at a time when over 49,500 species are threatened with extinction, when climate change is altering the environment faster than ecosystems can adapt and biodiversity loss continues to feature as one of the most severe long-term risks facing our planet today, the fellowship program will offer journalists from low- and middle-income countries the opportunity to cover COP17 negotiations, and ensure that crucial findings, decisions and outcomes are available and accessible to audiences beyond the conference walls.

Demonstrating journalists’ keen interest in covering this event, EJN received over 140 applications from around the world, and after a competitive selection process, we are pleased to announce the 17 awardees.

The awarded fellows are:

Yangyel Lhaden, Bhutan (Kuensel Corporation Limited)

Daniel Bisset Desalegn, Ethiopia (Ethiopian Broadcasting Corporation)

Tewodros Kassa Woldemariam, Ethiopia (The Ethiopian Herald Newspaper)

Haritha John, India (The News Minute; News Laundry)

Iim Fathimah Timorria, Indonesia (Bisnis Indonesia)

Ramadhan, Indonesia (Narasi TV)

Muhibar Sobary Ardan, Indonesia (Mongabay Indonesia)

Fatuma Mussa Bugu, Kenya (NTV Kenya and Daily Newspaper)

Irene Nasimiyu, Kenya (Lubao FM Radio; Association of Kenya Agricultural Journalists)

Eleanora Kulenbekova, Kyrgyzstan (BBC Kyrgyz Service)

Syrdybaeva Kunduz, Kyrgyzstan (Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty)

Raveloaritiana Mamisoa Isabelle, Madagascar (Global Voices; Voices for Democracy and Justice; Wikipedia; Newsmada; Gazetiko)

Mariana Grilli, Brazil (Um Só Planeta)

Verónica Santamaría, Mexico (Animal Político)

Kizito Cudjoe, Ghana (Business and Financial Times)

María Mónica Monsalve, Colombia (América Futura in El País)

Chiranjeevi Kulkarni, India (Deccan Herald)

Prior to the start of COP17, fellows will receive informational resources and technical support to help prepare for reporting at the conference, including a pre-COP virtual workshop to meet the team, discuss reporting opportunities, and ask any questions to support their pre-reporting and preparatory work.

While in Yerevan, fellows will participate in a series of specially designed activities, including an orientation session with biodiversity experts on the key issues to be covered 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.

EJN media trainer Stella Paul, a veteran journalist from India who will support journalists’ reporting at the conference, said, “COP17 comes at a critical moment for global biodiversity action. As the Convention on Biological Diversity conducts its first global assessment of progress under the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, early signals suggest that countries will need to accelerate efforts to meet their targets. The findings, expected to be unveiled during the summit, are likely to spark important discussions on biodiversity finance, subsidy reform, business accountability, and inclusive governance. Journalists have a crucial role to play in tracking these developments, holding decision-makers accountable, and helping audiences understand what is at stake. EJN’s training and support will help reporters navigate two intensive weeks of negotiations and deliver timely, insightful coverage.”

Be sure to keep an eye on the EJN website for more updates and stories to come from EJN fellows at the CBD COP17 this October.