Eight journalists from across the Middle East and North African (MENA) region are attending the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) summit, COP18, in Doha, Qatar as part of an EJN Fellowship program. With a focus on linking MENA journalists both together and with high-level participants at this global summit, this program is designed to support a deeper understanding of climate change issues and spur media coverage in a region where millions feel its real impacts.

Over the 10 days of the fellowship program, the participating journalists will attend COP18, participate in capacity-building activities presented at the conference, and have contact with high-level members of civil society, governmental, and academic organizations.

This project is being carried out with support from the the Global Campaign for Climate Action, and the Doha Center for Media Freedom.

Also as part of this year’s program, Internews’ Earth Journalism Network and the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED) will host the 2nd Annual Climate Communications Day at the Qatar Campus of Northwestern University. This event examines how to use new approaches to communicate climate change issues to both new and existing audiences and is free of charge for media specialists.   

Internews Network and Internews Europe developed the Earth Journalism Network to empower and enable journalists from developing countries to cover the environment more effectively. EJN establishes networks of environmental journalists in countries where they don't exist, and builds their capacity where they do, through training workshops and fellowship programs, the development of briefing materials and online tools, support for production and distribution, and the provision of small grants.

The International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED) is an independent, non-profit research institute and registered charity. Set up in 1971 and based in London, IIED provides expertise and leadership in researching and achieving sustainable development.

TckTckTck is the public campaign of the Global Campaign for Climate Action (GCCA), an unprecedented alliance of more than 375 organizations from around the world. The GCCA works to mobilize civil society and galvanize public support to ensure a safe climate future for people and nature, to promote the low-carbon transition of our economies, and to accelerate the adaptation efforts in communities already affected by climate change. TckTckTck is supporting Earth Journalism Network to empower journalists to write critically about climate change. This collaboration is part of a wider program to strengthen civil society and the media in the Gulf region around COP18 in Doha and on the long run.