BETHLEHEM / PNN – Report by Rana Oweineh

In a self-initiated, volunteer-driven move, a group of Arab journalists from four countries have launched a new media platform dedicated to climate change and environmental issues. 

The platform, titled Arab Journalists for Climate, is hosted, designed, and technically supported by the Palestine News Network (PNN), one of the founding media partners. The team includes journalists from Jordan, Iraq, Lebanon, Syria, and Palestine.

The website’s launch follows two years of collaborative work during the COP28 summit in Dubai and the COP29 summit in Baku, Azerbaijan. The participating journalists were involved in coverage under the “Qareeb” project, implemented by the French Media Development Agency (CFI) and funded by the French Development Agency (AFD). PNN’s Director, Munjed Jadou, led the technical and editorial execution of the site.

Jadou explained that the platform emerged from the realization, during their COP coverage, of a pressing need for a unified Arab media voice focusing on the regional impacts of climate change.

“Reports from international organizations paint a grim picture of the Arab region’s climate future,” Jadou said. “As journalists, we felt a duty to raise public awareness and push governments to acknowledge and address this reality.”

The project aims to foster collaborative reporting across Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, and Palestine, with hopes to expand the initiative to include journalists from other Arab countries.

“We hope that the Arab League and regional donors will recognise the importance of supporting climate journalism in the Arab world,” Jadou added. “We also extend our gratitude to CFI for giving us the chance to connect, collaborate, and attend climate conferences. Without their support, this initiative wouldn’t have come to life.”

Journalists Unite Across Borders

Mohammed Al-Basem, a journalist from Iraq, celebrated the initiative’s launch, describing it as a much-needed step to highlight the environmental crises facing Arab societies.

“This is a voluntary, cross-border effort to make Arab journalists a tool for awareness and environmental protection,” Al-Basem said. “In Iraq and across the region, we urgently need collective action—not only in climate journalism but across the media landscape.”

He emphasized that the project would function as a professional platform producing content that addresses environmental damage while exploring solutions to the region’s ecological and climate-related challenges.

For her part Iraqi journalist Istabraq Al-Zubaidi said the idea for the initiative was born after a group of Arab journalists came together during the last two UN climate summits. Work on the project began at the start of this year, with the website being developed, designed, and populated with reports from several Arab countries.

Al-Zubaidi explained that the participating journalists united around the critical issue of climate and environmental protection, all sharing a deep interest in the topic. She stressed the need to raise public awareness through journalism’s essential role in conveying facts and information to Arab communities, adding that collective efforts and ongoing collaboration are vital to serving the interests of the region’s people.

She also underlined the importance of the initiative and the commitment required from all participating journalists, calling for continued cooperation with relevant institutions to ensure its success.

Lebanese journalist Hala Nasruddin expressed her excitement about joining the initiative, highlighting the importance of shedding light on underreported environmental stories across the Arab world.

“In a region consumed by political turmoil, environmental issues often fall off the radar,” she said. “Through this network, we aim to collaborate across borders and ensure climate change is no longer overlooked.”

Nasruddin urged Arab audiences to follow the platform, noting that it promises professional, transparent reporting committed to preserving the environment across the region.

Jordanian journalist Shifa Qudah, an independent reporter, described her first collaboration with fellow Arab journalists at COP28 in Dubai as transformative. Their discussions often circled back to the lack of climate coverage in Arab media.

“Unfortunately, our media focuses on political crises while ignoring climate and environmental issues,” Qudah said. “During COP29 in Azerbaijan, we reached a consensus to establish this network and give our cause a platform.”

She expressed pride in joining the effort and hopes it will pave the way for sustained, collaborative environmental journalism in the region.

Qudah, who has a particular interest in the intersection of climate with food, health, and daily life, believes that the initiative offers a shared space for Arab journalists to exchange knowledge and improve their climate reporting skills.