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A recent UNESCO  conducted in cooperation with the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), has revealed alarming trends in the safety of journalists covering environmental issues. This study, which surveyed 905 journalists highlights a rise in violence and intimidation against these professionals.

Since 2009, at least 204 journalists and news outlets covering environmental matters have faced legal attacks, including . Governments have filed criminal charges against 93 of them including 39 journalists imprisoned, primarily in Asia and the Pacific, in connection to their environmental reporting. Defamation lawsuits, particularly in Europe and North America, are also prevalent, with at least 63 cases. 

In response to these challenges, UNESCO introduced a Global Roadmap for Information as a public good in the face of the environmental crisis, at the 2024 World Press Freedom Day Conference in Santiago de Chile. This initiative aims to improve the safety of journalists working on environmental issues and advance information integrity by strengthening legal support and funding investigative journalism focused on crimes against these reporters.

Thanks to the contribution of 20 donors, the Global Media Defence Fund (GMDF), managed by UNESCO, is supporting not-for-profit organizations that work to bolster journalists’ legal protection and promote media freedom through relevant investigative journalism or strategic litigation.

This year, UNESCO is specifically calling for partnerships focused on defending environmental journalism by improving legal protection and reducing impunity for cases of crimes against journalists covering the environment by advancing at least one of the following GMDF Outputs:

• Output 2: Reinforcing the operationalization of national safety mechanisms and peer support networks to ensure journalists’ rapid access to legal assistance, bolster their defense and enhance their safety, taking into account the gendered nature of the threats against them.

• Output 3: Supporting investigative journalism that contributes to reduced impunity for crimes against journalists by holding the justice system accountable and by pursuing investigative work that risks being censored when journalists are attacked, imprisoned, or murdered; and enhances the safety of those conducting this line of work. 

• Output 4: Enhancing structures for fostering strategic litigation in order to protect national and regional environments where the legal frameworks are conducive to an independent, free, and plural media ecosystems.

This Call for Partnerships is open to specialized not-for-profit entities (including, but not limited to, NGOs, media associations, journalists’ unions, human rights defenders, lawyers’ associations and pro bono legal aid organizations, lawyers’ and investigative journalism networks, foundations, and academic institutions, among many others) who have been active and registered as such for at least two years and who meet the criteria established in the  of the Call. The deadline for the submission of the proposals is Friday 18 October 2024, 23:59 GMT+2

The size of the financial grants distributed under this Call will range from a minimum USD $15,000 to a maximum $50,000.

The Global Media Defence Fund is a UNESCO Multi-Partner Trust Fund developed within the framework of the Global Campaign for Media Freedom and under the overall umbrella of the UN Plan of Action on the Safety of Journalists and the Issue of Impunity.

Administered by UNESCO, in the past three years the Global Media Defence Fund has funded the implementation of around 150 projects around the globe, which in turn has supported over 8,000 journalists, 1,400 lawyers and 300 media organizations.

This thematic Call is possible thanks to the generous contributions of Australia, Austria, Canada, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, New Zealand, Serbia, Slovakia, Switzerland, and United Kingdom; as well as a private sector donor, Siemens AG.