ICFJ and UN Foundation Virtual Reporting Fellowship for English-Speaking Journalists

The United Nations has embarked on an ambitious, 15-year plan to address global development issues including climate change. Journalists from around the world (excluding U.S. journalists) were invited to apply for a webinar focusing on the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals. This virtual fellowship was designed to deepen participants’ understanding of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) from a local perspective. Journalists selected to participate interacted with expert speakers and trainers who helped them develop stories focusing on local efforts to address the UN SDGs, with a special focus on climate change.

The webinar took place on Tuesday, November 15, and Friday, November 18. These half-day interactive webinars begun at 10 a.m. EST/3 p.m. UTC each day.  Please note that attendance was required for both days as the sessions complemented each other. Only participants who complete the program received certificates.

ICFJ and UN Foundation accepted applications until Monday, October 31, at 11 p.m. EDT/3 a.m. UTC. Please be aware that the webinar was only offered in English. We only considered English-speaking journalists for this virtual reporting fellowship.

More information about the webinar:

The webinars were conducted around the UN Foundation’s November 7-18 Earth to Marrakech movement focusing on COP22. The annual COP sessions aimed to review and assess efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and fight climate change. The webinars enriched journalists’ understanding of their home countries’ involvement in these initiatives.

A sampling of the webinar topics:

• An overview of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Sustainable Development Goals. Participants learned about the economic, social, and environmental aspects of the global SDG agenda, the associated targets, and challenges to achieving them. 
• A discussion of the local dimensions of the SDGs as they pertain to COP22 and Earth to Marrakech. Participants learned about Goal 13, which aims to help more vulnerable regions deal with climate change.
• A brainstorming session on stories fellows pursued after the webinar. ICFJ’s expert trainers gave fellows an overview of data-driven reporting and multimedia storytelling skills they can use to make their stories more informative and engaging.