COP31 Climate Change Fellowship 2026 in Türkiye

What is COP31 and Why Should You Care?

If you follow climate news at all, you have heard of COP. Every year, the United Nations brings together representatives from almost every nation on Earth for the Conference of the Parties — the world's largest and most consequential climate summit. It is here that governments review their emissions targets, negotiate new international agreements, debate climate finance, and decide on the policies that will shape how the world responds to the climate crisis for years to come.

In 2026, that gathering will take place as COP31 in the beautiful Mediterranean city of Antalya, Türkiye, from 9 to 20 November. Delegates from nearly 200 countries will fill conference halls to negotiate the future of the planet. Scientists will present the latest data on rising temperatures, melting ice caps, and shifting ecosystems. Activists from frontline communities will demand to be heard. And the global press will be there to document it all.

But here is the problem: the global press is not representative of the global population. Coverage of COP conferences is dominated by media outlets from wealthy countries, which means the stories, perspectives, and voices of the communities most vulnerable to climate change — many of which are in Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Pacific — often go underreported or are filtered through foreign lenses.

The CCMP fellowship exists specifically to fix that. By funding journalists from low- and middle-income countries to attend COP directly, the program ensures that the people hardest hit by climate change have journalists on the ground who understand their realities, speak their languages, and are committed to bringing their stories to domestic and international audiences.

This is journalism as public service at the highest level — and it begins with your application.

About the Climate Change Media Partnership (CCMP)

The Climate Change Media Partnership is a collaboration between the Earth Journalism Network (EJN) and the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED) — two of the world's leading organizations working at the intersection of journalism, environment, and development policy.

Together, they launched the CCMP reporting fellowship in 2007, just as climate change was beginning to dominate international policy conversations. The timing was intentional. The founders recognized that while the science of climate change was becoming more urgent and unambiguous, public understanding — particularly in the countries most affected — was lagging behind. Better, more accessible, more locally rooted journalism was the missing link.

Nearly two decades later, the CCMP fellowship has become one of the most respected climate journalism programs in the world. More than 550 journalists have participated across multiple COP cycles, producing thousands of pieces of journalism that have reached audiences from Lagos to Jakarta, from Dhaka to Lima. Former fellows have won awards, launched major investigative series, and gone on to become leading voices in environmental reporting in their home countries.

The fellowship is not simply a press credential or a free trip to a conference. It is a structured professional development experience that combines full COP access with editorial mentorship, peer learning, and a global network of climate journalists that fellows carry with them long after the conference ends.

For the 2026 cycle, the CCMP is focused on COP31 in Türkiye — and applications are open right now.

Antalya, Türkiye: A Setting as Significant as the Summit

COP31 will take place in Antalya — one of the most stunning cities in the Mediterranean world and a deeply meaningful location for a climate conference. Nestled between the Taurus Mountains and the turquoise waters of the Mediterranean Sea, Antalya is a city of extraordinary natural beauty, ancient history, and modern dynamism.

Türkiye itself is a country acutely aware of its climate vulnerabilities. Drought, wildfires, and extreme heat events have all intensified in recent years across the Anatolian peninsula and the broader region. Holding COP31 here is a reminder that climate change is not an abstract future threat — it is a present crisis affecting communities across the Mediterranean, the Middle East, and beyond.

For journalists attending the fellowship, Antalya offers more than just a conference backdrop. It offers context. Walking through a city that has experienced some of the consequences of the very crisis being negotiated inside the conference halls makes the reporting instinctively richer. The stories are everywhere — in the landscape, in the people, in the conversations you have outside the official sessions.

November is a particularly pleasant time to visit. The intense summer heat has passed, the Mediterranean is still warm, and the city has a more relaxed, authentic atmosphere than during peak tourist season. For fellows who have never visited Türkiye, it is a place that tends to leave a lasting impression.

What This Fellowship Is Really About

It would be easy to describe the CCMP fellowship as simply a way to get a journalist to COP31 for free. But that framing misses what makes this program genuinely special.

At its core, this fellowship is an investment in the future of climate journalism. It is built on a belief that the quality and diversity of climate reporting matters — that the stories told about climate change shape public understanding, political will, and ultimately the decisions that governments and communities make in response to the crisis.

When a journalist from coastal Bangladesh reports from COP31 on how sea level rise is displacing thousands of families, that story lands differently than when the same facts are reported by a correspondent from a European capital. It carries lived context, emotional proximity, and cultural specificity that transforms statistics into human reality.

The CCMP fellowship creates the conditions for that kind of journalism. It puts the right journalists in the right place at the right time — and then supports them with the resources, mentorship, and editorial guidance to do their best work.

Fellows typically leave the conference with a body of published work, a expanded professional network, a deeper understanding of climate politics and science, and a sense of having contributed to something genuinely important. Many describe it as one of the most professionally and personally transformative experiences of their careers.

Pre-Fellowship Preparation and Support

One of the aspects of the CCMP fellowship that sets it apart from simply receiving press accreditation is the structured preparation and support that fellows receive before, during, and after the conference.

Prior to COP31, selected fellows typically participate in orientation sessions that help them understand the UNFCCC process, the key agenda items for that year's conference, and how to navigate the often complex and densely scheduled world of a major UN summit. This preparation is invaluable — COP is enormous, fast-moving, and can be overwhelming for first-time attendees without proper context.

During the conference, fellows benefit from ongoing editorial mentorship, opportunities to share story ideas and drafts with experienced editors, and access to a community of fellow journalists who serve as a mutual support network. The peer learning that happens among CCMP fellows — journalists comparing notes on how the same climate policies are playing out in their different home countries — is itself a rich source of story angles and editorial insight.

After the conference, the Earth Journalism Network continues to support fellows through its broader network of training, resources, and opportunities for environmental journalists. The fellowship is not a one-off transaction — it is the beginning of a longer professional relationship.

The Broader Impact: Why Diverse Climate Journalism Matters

Climate change is a global crisis, but it is not experienced equally. The communities least responsible for the greenhouse gas emissions driving climate change are often those most severely impacted by its consequences. Small island nations face existential threats from sea level rise. Sub-Saharan African communities face intensifying droughts and food insecurity. South and Southeast Asian populations deal with more powerful cyclones, flooding, and extreme heat.

These are the communities whose stories most urgently need to be told — and told by journalists who understand them from the inside. International media coverage, however well-intentioned, can struggle to capture the full human complexity of what climate change means for a rice farming family in Vietnam or a fishing community in Mozambique. Local and regional journalists, deeply embedded in their communities and cultures, are uniquely positioned to do that work.

The CCMP fellowship is one of the most effective mechanisms in the world for supporting that kind of journalism. By sending journalists from these very communities to COP, where global climate policy is shaped, it creates a powerful connection between the people making decisions and the people living with their consequences. That connection, expressed through journalism, is how democratic accountability works in a global context.

When you apply for this fellowship, you are not just pursuing a professional opportunity. You are choosing to be part of that process.

A Word on the Application

The CCMP fellowship is competitive. Journalists from across the eligible countries apply each cycle, and the selection committee looks carefully for candidates who combine professional credibility, climate reporting experience, and a compelling vision for what they will cover at COP31.

The most important part of your application is your reporting proposal. This is where you demonstrate not just that you are qualified, but that you have a specific, meaningful story to tell. The best proposals are concrete and personal — they name real communities, real issues, and real people. They explain why this story matters now, why it is best told by someone from your background, and how you plan to research and report it during the two weeks of the conference.

Generic proposals — "I will cover climate negotiations and their impact on developing countries" — do not stand out. Specific ones do: "I will report on how smallholder farmers in the northern highlands of my country are adapting their practices in response to shifting rainfall patterns, and how the outcomes of COP31's agricultural policy discussions will affect the support available to them."

Take time with your proposal. Get feedback from a trusted colleague or editor. And read everything you can about the COP31 agenda before you write a single word.

Your letter of support from an editor or media outlet is also critically important. It signals to the selection committee that your journalism will actually reach an audience — that this is not just a personal learning exercise but a genuine act of public communication.

How to Apply

1. Visit the official Earth Journalism Network fellowship page
2. Create or log in to your account on the EJN platform
3. Complete the online application form in full
4. Upload all required documents
5. Review your application carefully and submit before the deadline