In response to the war against Ukraine, UNESCO mobilized an immediate emergency response for media workers in the country.

To support Ukrainian citizens' access to verified, conflict-sensitive information, UNESCO has been providing emergency grants to Ukrainian journalists, allowing them to continue their crucial work with editorial independence.

Through cooperation between UN agencies, the cash transfers of the first round of emergency grants to 160 media journalists have been facilitated by the World Food Programme (WFP), with the support of the International Federation for Journalists (IFJ) and the National Union for Journalists of Ukraine (NUJU).

Journalists from 24 regions of the country received this support and women journalists made up 75% of the recipients.

UNESCO and its partners in the country spoke with some of the beneficiaries, illustrating the difference this support makes on the ground.

UNESCO, in partnership with the National Union of Journalists of Ukraine (NUJU) and the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), has just launched a programme to support Ukrainian journalists with emergency grants to continue their work providing essential information to the public.

UNESCO launches a new programme to support Ukrainian journalists

Kateryna Matko, editor-in-chief Silske Zhyttia newspaper

According to Kateryna Matko, the editor-in-chief of the local newspaper Silske Zhyttia [Rural Life] (Kirovohrad Region), the publication has had to reduce the number of pages from 8 to 4, and minimize the staff and their salaries, since the beginning of the war. However, the newspaper’s circulation did not fall. "This shows that people need a newspaper" According to her, some villages have no Internet connection, while others have blackouts, making the newspaper the only information bridge to the outside world.

Kateryna spent the aid received from UNESCO on the needs of the newspaper she runs. She was able to pay her employees and taxes and intends to purchase a charging station so that they can continue to operate in the event of a power outage.

We couldn’t afford to stop the newspaper. Meanwhile, things were becoming increasingly difficult. As a result, UNESCO’s assistance was very timely.

Kateryna Matko Editor-in-chief of the local newspaper Silske Zhyttia

Nataliia Biriukova, Orbita television journalist

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.

Nataliia Biriukova. One of her works for the online magazine Svoyi has won the first prize in the creative competition of the NUJU “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 UNESCO grant to address health issues that had recently arisen.

It's very difficult to travel to shoot reports and see the destroyed streets where you grew up, where you shot news about improvements for 20 years. (…) "There are now craters from explosions on the roads and destroyed houses along them (…) Every resident of our region lives in hope: they hope that "a shell will not reach" and that everything will be limited to fear. We maintain psychological balance by assisting the front, the army, and the country to work, live, and believe.

Nataliia Biriukova Orbita television journalist

Ian Dobronosov, photo correspondent of the Telegraph publication

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

"The support of UNESCO and other international partners to Ukraine is extremely important" says Ian Dobronosov. “Sometimes people ask me how I make a living during the war. I am not making any money. I use my savings to pay for traveling expenses and solving technical issues. I am very grateful to international financial donors who value journalism and pay attention journalists like us. I am very grateful to both UNESCO and the National Union of Journalists of Ukraine (NUJU).”

I am glad that the National Union of Journalists of Ukraine (NUJU) cooperates with UNESCO. This allows identifying the people who really need help.

Ian Dobronosov Photo correspondent, Telegraph publication

UNESCO is committed to continuing to support the safety of Ukrainian and international journalists and media workers inside Ukraine so that they can provide factual, conflict-sensitive, and verified information of public interest to the population, with editorial independence.

Additional emergency energy equipment to local media across the country, material support for 200 journalists to meet the urgent need for further assistance and to allow them to continue their profession, and psychological support to journalists, with a focus on women journalists are among the actions planned for 2023.

This assistance was organized in collaboration with the World Food Programme (WFP) and National Union of Journalists of Ukraine (NUJU).

This support in Ukraine was made possible thanks to the flexibility of the Multi Donor Programme (MDP), alongside the emergency response mechanisms of the Global Media Defence Fund (GMDF) and the International Programme for the Development of Communication (IPDC). These activities will be further upscaled in 2023, also thanks to a new 10 million USD project funded by Japan, which will benefit to all sectors of UNESCO.