EJN Fellowship Supports 11 Journalists to Attend UN Biodiversity Conference COP16 in Cali, Colombia

Internews’ Earth Journalism Network (EJN) is excited to announce the awardees of our fellowship to attend and report from the 16th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD COP16), held in Cali, Colombia from October 21 to November 1 later this year.

Selected journalists, supported through EJN’s Biodiversity Media Initiative, will attend the full duration of the CBD COP16 and report on progress to achieve the targets laid out in the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF).

CBD COP16 is the first convening since the GBF’s launch in 2022 and is therefore a critical moment to pause and assess the state of global biodiversity financing, countries’ progress, and current barriers to success. This includes supporting countries so that their National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans (NBSAPs) align with the GBF, bolstering plans for funding and implementation—especially given a current finance gap of 700 billion dollars per year—and finding a way to govern access and benefit-sharing (ABS), particularly of Digital Sequence Information and genetic material.

This summit takes place at a time when global wildlife populations have declined an average of 69% since 1970, and more than 1 million animal and plant species are threatened with extinction by 2030. This includes threats to habitat, with about three-quarters of land environments and two-thirds of marine environments greatly altered by humans.

Given the grave threats to species and their environments, reporting on biodiversity hotspots and proceedings at COP16 is more crucial than ever. We received more than 240 applications from around the world and, after a competitive selection process, are pleased to announce 11 awardees.

The awarded fellows are: 

• Alisa Catherine Uzice, Seychelles (Seychelles News Agency)
• María Paula Murcia Huertas, Colombia (Mutante)
• Muhammad Oonib Azam, Pakistan (The News International)
• Robi Sarafina Merengo, Kenya (Kenya Broadcasting Corporation)
• Yiyi Zhang, China (Initium Media)
• Patrick Kahondwa, Democratic Republic of Congo (SciDev)
• Matías Avramow, Argentina (La Nación Journal)
• Mariana Grilli, Brazil (Um Só Planeta)
• Nadège Christelle Bowa, Cameroon (Le Messager)
• Mayara Luisa Moreira Corrêa Subtil Barbosa, Brazil (Rede Amazônica Group)
• María Celeste Maradiaga, Honduras (Contra Corriente)

Prior to the start of COP16, 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 Cali, fellows will participate in a series of specially designed activities, including an orientation session with biodiversity experts on the key issues 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 Fermín Koop, a veteran journalist from Argentina who will support journalists’ reporting at the conference, said, "COP16 comes at a critical time. After the approval of the Global Biodiversity Framework in 2022, countries will now have to accelerate implementation through their new biodiversity plans. Many of these are expected to be introduced before and during the summit, which will also open up key discussions around finance, bioeconomy and supply chains, among many other issues. The role of journalists in tracking these developments is crucial. The support and training provided by EJN will boost reporters' capacities and help them go through the two intense weeks of negotiations."

Look out for more updates and stories to come on the EJN website.

Banner Image: The white-eared marmoset, endemic to the states of Minas Gerais and Rio de Janeiro in southeastern Brazil, is an endangered species / Credit: Maicon Fonseca Zanco via Unsplash.