UNESCO strengthens emergency measures to support Ukrainian journalists

A first round of 160 grants had been administered through the International Federation for Journalists (IFJ) and the National Union for Journalists of Ukraine (NUJU).

To support Ukrainian citizens' access to verified conflict-sensitive information, UNESCO has implemented a series of emergency measures, including emergency grants to Ukrainian journalists, allowing them to continue their crucial work with editorial independence.

Through the course of two rounds of grant support, so far a total of 360 journalists received financial support, out of over 2,000 applications. Such assistance was made possible by UNESCO's cooperation with the World Food Programme (WFP) in 2022, as well as specialized civil society partners.

A first round of 160 grants had been administered through the International Federation for Journalists (IFJ) and the National Union for Journalists of Ukraine (NUJU).

Lviv Media Forum administered the second round of support in the autumn of 2023, providing grants to 200 journalists. Among the 200 selected applicants, 47 were men and 153 were women. The journalists, selected by an independent jury of media experts and civil society, were from nearly all regions of Ukraine, with the highest numbers coming from Kyiv region, followed by Dnipro, Odesa, Kharkiv, Mykolaiv, Lviv and Poltava regions. Testimonies from Ukrainian journalistsSome of the journalists that received the support have been interviewed by UNESCO and partners.Anastasia Bereza, journalist from Kyiv, reported that the emergency grant helped her to launch her own media "Striy" specialised in covering the impact of the war on veterans and on the families of killed soldiers".

Ivan Antypenko, freelance journalist with different media outlets, including Grunt.media, MOST, Hromadske.ua and Radio Liberty, emphasized how important this support is specifically for freelancers.

Olha Zyma, journalist, chief editor of "Tochka Dostupu", emphasized the mental toll on journalists caused by the war.

Nataliia Biriukova, an experienced Orbita television journalist (Pokrovsk, Donetsk Region) shoots footage every day, showing how people live and try to find something positive in the current situation. One of her works for the online magazine Svoyi has won the first prize in the creative competition of the National Union for Journalists of Ukraine "Information Front 2022". She is raising three children.

Despite the systematic shelling of Pokrovsk and the city's lack of water supply, she continues to live and work there. Nataliia used the grant to address health issues that had recently arisen.

Ian Dobronosov, a photo-reporter of the Telegraph publication, works in many regions of Ukraine, especially on the front line.