Deadline: July 15, 2023
Proposals are invited for the Media for Environment, Science, Health & Agriculture (MESHA) Grant 2023 to Cover COP28. Thirteen (13) journalists from Africa (at least 50% women) will be awarded grants to cover the 28th UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP28) as part of its partnership with the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) eastern and southern Africa office in Nairobi.
Of this number, eight (8) will travel to Dubai and five (5) will cover the event virtually from home countries. The 2023 MESHA fellows will attend and report on COP28 in United Arab Emirates from November 30 to December 10, 2023. As currently envisioned (and subject to change), the Fellows would travel to Dubai to attend the 11-day conference of the UN climate negotiations or do the reporting from their home countries as stated above. The MESHA CEO will lead the delegation of both groups.
Cost
- MESHA will cover a non-refundable and non-transferable economy-class air ticket, accommodation, visa expenses, meals, travel insurance, and transportation costs to participate in the Fellowship program as per its financial policies and regulations.
Eligibility
To be eligible for the Fellowship, the applicant must:
- Be a professional journalist from or representing an established media house (urban or rural based with national, regional and/or international reach) and reporting from an eastern or southern African country.
- Have previous experience reporting on climate change issues and clearly indicate the kinds of stories they might pursue while attending the science cafes and the conference.
- Have demonstrable experience in reporting on issues from a perspective of gender equality and social inclusion.
- Have good command of English, French and/or Portuguese. Knowledge of African languages is also a plus.
- Be available and willing to cover COP28 either virtually from their home country or in-person from Dubai.
- Commit to participate in all Fellowship activities.
Evaluation Criteria
- A demonstrable experience covering climate change and other environmental topics.
- An understanding of issues related to gender equality and social inclusion.
- The ability to do mobile journalism and/or multimedia stories.
- A clear reporting plan for COP28.
- The audience reach of the proposed media outlet(s).
- Diversity factors such as sex, career level (junior, mid-career, senior), and geographical coverage of your media house (urban, rural, national, regional, international; print, radio, including community radio, and TV)
- Two fellowships will be reserved for two journalists from the 2022 cohort who will act as mentors to the COP28 cohort through a peer-to-peer networking/learning approach.
Application
Interested journalists can submit their applications to the MESHA Secretariat via email at [email protected]. The submission deadline is July 15, 2023.
Submission documents include:
- A short application letter of about 700 words articulating your experience in covering climate change, and your motivation to cover COP28.
- Applicants are asked to submit FIVE (5) samples of their work published between January to June 2023 as documents or web links.
- Stories can be in any language as long as they are accompanied by a short English and/or French synopsis.
- A letter from your editor committing to allow you to travel to COP28 or allow you to cover the event virtually and that either way, they will publish stories filed from the event should you be selected.
- Freelancers must provide a letter of support from a media outlet for which they intend to report.
For more information, visit MESHA Grant.
