The UN Environment Assembly kicks off
Plus: productivity waves + the latest opportunities 🌐
WorldWise readers—
As freelancers, we often say that the irregular flow of work is one of the difficult things about being self-employed.
That is true. But there’s a flip side to it: you can also use that rhythm to your advantage. When the work comes, it can be a charge of sorts for productivity and creativity.
It’s a bit like riding the energy of a wave. Best to be fully committed. Get immersed in what it asks of you. Leave yourself free to receive fresh ideas and directions. Let the wave carry you somewhere new.
Anita
MEDIA EDITION | opportunities and support to grow in communication
INSIDER | views & experience
Eyes on Nairobi.
Ministers of environment and other leaders from more than 180 nations descended on Kenya’s capital earlier this week as the sixth session of the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA-6) kicked off.
The world of the UN may sometimes feel like a parallel universe. A sphere of idealism. But when its slow and involved processes do culminate in something concrete, it sets the parameters for how countries operate on a number of issues, including environmental governance. So it’s worth following, even from afar.
All 193 UN member states are part of this Assembly, making it the world’s highest decision-making body on the environment. It meets every other year to set policy priorities and develop laws that apply globally.
This year’s meeting has a focus on strengthening environmental multilateralism to tackle what the organisers call the triple planetary crisis: climate change, nature loss and pollution. The Assembly will be negotiating resolutions on a number of issues within that triad: nature-based solutions, hazardous pesticides, land degradation and drought, environmental aspects of mining minerals and metals, and more.
Three issues to watch:
This year’s focus highlights the value of multilateral environmental agreements (MEAs), an instrument that the UN says can improve governance of environmental issues that cross borders, and pave the way for smoother cooperation between countries. The UN Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) has a summary factsheet of its MEAs here, and a full list of its side events is available here. The scope of its agreements is now expanding from Europe to other world regions, covering issues from air pollution and cross-border water cooperation to environmental rights and industrial safety. For media requests, contact Jean Rodriguez: jean.rodriguez@un.org
Ongoing negotiations on the historic global plastics treaty adopted at the last Assembly are expected to continue as part of this year’s agenda. In the lead-up to this week David Njagi reported for Devex ($) about concerns that these talks could be hijacked by corporate lobby groups hoping to undermine the more ambitious goals in these discussions. Li Jiacheng’s feature for China Dialogue offers useful background on the topic.
Also watch out for the launch of this year’s Global Resources Outlook report on the last day, Friday 1 March. It pulls together evidence that shows use of natural resources globally has been rising and accelerating since 2019—and that demand for those resources is set to grow, fuelling extractive activities that we know harm the environment.
The week’s proceedings involve leadership and multi-stakeholder dialogues, plus more than 30 official side events and other associated events. And through this process and associated resolutions, the idea is to strengthen coordination between the UN, countries and other partners in order to tackle the triple planetary crisis.
OPPORTUNITIES | working with the media
grants+funding
LAC | Fundación Gabo and Fundación Avina are inviting journalists linked to media outlets in Latin America to apply for ColaborAcción Scholarships for Investigative Journalism, to support up to 2.5 months of work on a journalistic investigation—closing 29 February.
ASIA | Journalists and groups of producers based in India are eligible for fellowships, offered by Internews’ Earth Journalism Network to support production of in-depth reports on the country’s renewable energy sector in India, especially in Bihar, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and Uttar Pradesh—closing 29 February.
AFRICA | The Tony Elumelu Foundation is inviting African media entrepreneurs with promising business ideas to apply for a programme that offers intensive online training, mentorship, seed capital and access to a network of African start-ups and global contacts—closing 1 March.
fellowships+scholarships
AFRICA | Young female journalists from East Africa with a background in newsroom journalism are invited to apply to the SheLeads Media Fellowship, by the Baraza Media Lab, to gain skills, insights, and networking opportunities essential for their professional growth—closing 28 February.
LAC | The Gabo Foundation and the Avina Foundation are inviting applications for ColaborAcción Scholarships for Journalistic Research, which will support journalistic projects with funding and access to mentoring—closing 29 February.
GLOBAL | Experienced journalists interested in covering the relationship between journalism and AI are invited to apply for the Cyber Valley Journalist-in-Residence programme at the University of Tübingen—closing 29 February.
GLOBAL | Young journalists and other communication professionals can apply for DW Akademie’s International Media Studies program in Bonn, Germany, which offers a mix of research, lectures and practical experience—closing 29 February.
GLOBAL | The International Center for Journalists is accepting applications for its 2024 ICFJ Knight Fellowships, a one-year programme that nurtures media projects that address challenges in the fellows’ home regions and helps share those innovations internationally—closing 29 February.
AFRICA | Young journalists from selected countries are invited to apply to The Southern African-German Journalists‘ Bursary, a fellowship that supports journalists from the region, and from Germany, to gain insights into the host country while working in a local newsroom—closing 1 March.
MENA | The Knight Science Journalism Program at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology is launching a new fellowship, the Fellowship for Advancing Science Journalism in Africa and the Middle East, to support a semester of study for a science journalist at MIT and other Cambridge/Boston area universities—closing 1 March. The fellowship was created in honour of our colleague, pioneering Egyptian science journalist Mohammed Yahia, who died last year at the age of 41.
AFRICA | Code for Africa is offering scholarships to journalists and/or fact-checkers based in Mali, aiming to build capacity to combat fake news in the country—closing 4 March.
GLOBAL | Transparency International is offering travel scholarships for young journalists interested in covering the IACC meeting in Lithuania in June, to publish stories on corruption for the event blog and media outlets—closing 6 March.
training+events
LAC | The National Federation of Journalists in Brazil is inviting journalists, students and others to take an online course on "Journalism and Media Literacy to Counteract Disinformation"—register now.
GLOBAL | The Institute for Independent Journalists is inviting registrations to its online conference, which will cover issues such as what top editors want and how to land fellowships and create a portfolio of meaningful work—closing 29 February.
ASIA | Sunway University in Malaysia is offering a training workshop for journalists in Asia on 15 April, on how to report on climate, air pollution and health—closing 29 February.
LAC | The Google News Initiative is hosting a free three-month digital lab online for journalists and news organisations interested in learning best practices to grow their audiences and revenue—closing 29 February.
LAC | The Cásper Líbero journalism school is offering an online course to train media professionals in inclusive language and how to use it—closing 6 March.
awards+competitions
AFRICA | The Southern African Development Community is inviting journalists from selected countries to apply for the 2024 SADC Media Awards—closing 29 February.
LAC | The Caribbean Broadcasting Union is accepting entries from journalists and other media professionals from the English, Dutch, French and Spanish speaking Caribbean for its annual media awards—closing 29 February.
LAC | The Gabo Foundation is inviting submissions for its journalism prize, which promotes quality coverage in a variety of media of issues that affect the region—closing 29 February.
ASIA | The Developing Asia Journalism Awards are open to submissions by journalists in the region who cover stories on climate risks and sustainable development—closing 1 March.
GLOBAL | Covering Climate Now and Columbia Journalism Review are inviting journalists to submit work for this year’s Covering Climate Now Journalism Awards—closing 1 March.
GLOBAL | The International Women's Media Foundation is inviting nominations for its Courage in Journalism Awards, which honour women journalists who have demonstrated extraordinary strength under difficult or dangerous circumstances—closing 3 March.
GLOBAL | The International Press Institute and International Media Support are seeking nominations for journalists and news organisations who are eligible for the World Press Freedom Hero Award and the Free Media Pioneer Award—closing 5 March.
audio+visual
GLOBAL | The 37th Pärnu Film Festival (International Documentary and Science Film Festival) is inviting submissions from documentary filmmakers who have produced work on human activities in social, historical or ecological contexts—closing 1 March. (early deadline)
GLOBAL | BigPicture is inviting photographers to submit their work to a competition that celebrates and illustrates the rich diversity of life on Earth, and inspires action to protect and conserve it through the power of imagery—closing 1 March.
GLOBAL | Young photographers can apply to Canon’s Student Development Programme, which offers aspiring photographers from across Europe, Middle East and Africa an opportunity to meet leading industry experts and have their portfolio professionally assessed—closing 7 March.
pitches+positions
LAC | Agência Estado is hiring a journalism intern to work in its São Paulo offices, to create reports and memos based on the monitoring of relevant news websites—closing 29 February.
ASIA | The International Center for Journalists is seeking a contract-based security specialist for its programme for investigative journalists in Southeast Asia—closing 29 February.
MENA | The Global Investigative Journalism Network is looking for a part-time Arabic Associate Editor who has a solid understanding of investigative and data journalism, as well as experience and strong skills in managing social media—closing 4 March.
GLOBAL | Creative Lives in Progress is looking for texts from emerging writers, to critically engage with the ways in which photography can speak to issues of environmentalism, colonialism and climate justice—closing 4 March.
GLOBAL | ProPublic is open to freelance pitches of ambitious accountability stories or projects from independent journalists whose ideas align with the mission of the organisation—pitch now.
GLOBAL | Guardian US editor Blake Montgomery is looking for pitches about the impact of technology on the environment—pitch now.
MENA | Maroc Diplomatique is seeking French-speaking journalists, for a position based in Casablanca, to produce articles, interviews, reports and features on current affairs topics—apply now.
resources+tools
How to steer an interview so you get what you need - Tyler Santora for The Open Notebook
Crowdfunding investigations: Lessons learned about harnessing audience buy-in from Ireland, Brazil, and Portugal – Laura Oliver for the Global Investigative Journalism Network
How to switch from staff reporter to freelance journalist - Barbara Mantel for the Association of Health Care Journalists
How journalists can develop a successful YouTube strategy - Inaara Gangji for the International Center for Journalists
Photographers on 20 easy, enjoyable ways to vastly improve your pictures - Sarah Phillips for The Guardian
“There is nothing ordinary about the carnage of journalists in the Middle East, and particularly in Gaza, in 2023.”
VIEW | insight & global news
ICYMI—our latest VIEW post reflects on the wider implications of South Africa’s landmark case accusing Israel of genocide against Palestinians in Gaza.
