Over the past decade, many promising steps have been taken to protect the “lungs of the planet” – our ocean – which produces most of the oxygen we need to breathe and is the world’s largest carbon sink. We have seen countries take action. Earlier this year, Greece became the first country in Europe to announce a ban on bottom trawling in all of its national marine parks and marine protected areas, and so far 15 countries have ratified the High Seas Treaty, which aims to protect the marine biodiversity of the sea. two-thirds of ocean waters beyond national jurisdiction.
Countries made significant progress at the latest UN Ocean Conference held in Portugal in 2022: setting new guidelines for blue markets and more than 50 high-level commitments and commitments covering scientific cooperation, ecosystem monitoring and surveillance, and regulation of IUU (illegal, unreported and unregulated) fishing.
The next UN Ocean Conference, scheduled to be held in Nice, France, from 9-13 June 2025, will be a key point for accelerating progress on ocean conservation and sustainable management. These summits aim to support the implementation of Sustainable Development Goal 14 (SDG14), which is to “conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development”.
Although around 3 billion people rely on the ocean for their main source of livelihood and millions of people around the world depend on coastal and marine ecosystems for their livelihoods, many decisions and action plans aimed at protecting the ocean are decided among government officials, during high-level conferences that are not accessible to the public.
It is only through reliable, transparent and accessible journalism that such important coverage can go to sea and reach vulnerable communities on every continent.
The path to a sustainable future for our blue planet remains fraught with challenges, and the public needs to be better informed about how their countries are dealing with – or not dealing with – overfishing, acidification and the potential pollution of the ocean, which is home to 260,000 known species.
As part of Internews’ UN Earth Journalism Network project, we are pleased to announce a new fellowship program for journalists to attend and cover the 2025 United Nations Ocean Conference, with support from the Bloomberg Oceanic Fund. This edition of the conference will focus on mobilizing all stakeholders for the conservation and sustainable use of the ocean.

Fellowship Logistics
Fellows will travel to Nice, France, to attend the full duration of the UN Ocean Conference negotiations, which will take place from 9 to 13 June, with an expected arrival on 7 June and departure on 14 June.
EJN will cover non-refundable economy class airfare, accommodation, meals, travel medical insurance and ground transportation expenses related to participation in the fellowship. The organizers will also facilitate the press accreditation process and provide logistical support for travel. Please note that obtaining the necessary visas is the individual responsibility of the fellow, although EJN will reimburse visa fees. Fellows will also receive a stipend to cover daily expenses during their stay in Nice. 5-8 journalists will be selected for the personal fellowship. Before the start of the UNOC conference, fellows will receive information resources and technical support to help them prepare their reporting for the conference. They will attend a pre-COP virtual workshop to meet their group and their media coach, discuss reporting opportunities and ask any questions needed to support their reporting and pre-preparation work.
During their stay in Nice, fellows will participate in a series of dedicated activities, including an orientation session with ocean experts on key issues of this UNOC conference, daily briefings led by EJN media trainers and interviews with high-level officials. The fellowship will provide valuable insights into climate and environmental issues, threats to the ocean and measures needed to protect the marine ecosystem. Fellows will also engage with their cohort and exchange ideas for effective reporting and receive editorial feedback and guidance on their reporting from the EJN media coach.
Journalists who receive a grant are responsible for their own safety while traveling and must ensure that they meet all travel and participation requirements.

Eligibility
To be eligible for the scholarship, the applicant must:
Be a professional journalist from or representing an established news organization and reporting from any country with a rating. Applicants from countries in the Mediterranean region and low- and middle-income countries are particularly encouraged to apply.
Have previous experience reporting on ocean issues (e.g., ocean threats such as IUU fishing, impacts of algal blooms, acidification and pollution, and innovative and practical solutions for ocean protection, such as technological advances to monitor marine crime, new multilateral agreements such as the Plastics Treaty and the High Seas Treaty, financing mechanisms such as blue bonds, and policy measures such as marine protected areas, fishing quotas, etc.
Please clearly indicate the types of stories you will be seeking to pursue when covering the conference.
Be available for the conference in Nice from 9 to 13 June 2025, arriving on 7 June and departing on 14 June. Have a good command of the English language.
Share an up-to-date CV.
Provide a letter of support from an editor, producer or supervisor who can confirm that your report will be published or broadcast in an established media outlet. Freelancers are welcome to apply, but must provide a letter of support from a media outlet they intend to report for.
Provide examples of recent, relevant journalistic work that focuses on ocean issues (preferably covering ocean governance/policies related to marine protection). These articles can be downloaded as documents or online links. Articles can be written in any language, as long as they are accompanied by a short summary in English. Articles should have clear guidelines and have been published within the last 12 months.
For the purposes of this opportunity, we will only accept applications in English. Unfortunately, we do not have the ability to review applications in other languages ​​at this time. Applicants must be able to fully participate in an English-language fellowship to be awarded.
Applications are open to journalists working in any media (online, print, television, radio). We encourage applications from freelance journalists and staff of all types of media organizations – international, national, local and community.
Journalists who attended the previous UNOC in 2022 with EJN support or any other EJN-supported fellowship in 2024 are not eligible for this opportunity.
EJN reserves the right to disqualify applicants if they have been found guilty of unethical or inappropriate professional conduct, including, but not limited to, plagiarism and submission of user-generated content.

Applications for conference fellowships will be accepted until January 15, 2025. Decisions will be communicated in early February 2025.

For more information and to apply (on or before January 15, 2025), go to: https://earthjournalism.net/opportunities/un-ocean-conference-2025-fellowships

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