EJN said 600 applications were received from climate journalists around the world for the CCMP 2023.
A PREMIUM TIMES’ journalist, Chiamaka Okafor, and 27 other journalists from different countries have been selected to cover the 28th UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
Other fellows are from India, Iraq, Philippines, Cambodia, Colombia, Morocco, Indonesia, Ghana, Kenya, Jamaica, Thailand, Brazil, and Argentina, among others. Ms Okafor in her remarks said it is a rare privilege to be part of the fellowship, adding that the event would provide her an opportunity for detailed reporting on Nigeria’s climate change negotiations and those of other African countries.
James Fahn, EJN’s executive director, said the global stocktaking process at COP28 will be an important summit to spotlight climate change in the Middle East region and how nations are responding to “climate emergency”.The CCMP was formed in 2007 by EJN in collaboration with Panos London and the International Institute for Environment and Development to support journalists from low and middle-income countries to attend the annual UN climate summits.
For COP28, EJN said the 20 fellows reporting in Dubai will participate in orientation activities, daily briefings, interviews with high-level officials, and other interactions to facilitate quality reporting on developments and outcomes at COP28.It added that the four fellows from the Middle East and North Africa and four from Lower Mekong countries will cover COP28 remotely, with opportunities for mentorship, networking, and virtual interviews with officials and others at the conference.