EU and DT Global support and train journalists in Ukraine

DT Global, through funding from the European Union, is implementing the European Union 4 Independent Media (EU4IM) project to support journalists and media outlets working in Ukraine to promote access to quality information for citizens. In the framework of the European Neighbourhood Instrument, the programme demonstrates Europe's commitment to Ukraine and its people.  

EU4IM promotes fact-based, gender-inclusive and reliable public interest journalism for its watchdog function. The programme contributes to boosting media resilience by strengthening their financial sustainability and the approach is based on the belief that if independent media journalists have the capacity to produce engaging and high quality content, they will be more competitive in the media market. This, in turn, will lead to greater consumption of reliable information and, by extension, greater social resilience and government accountability. 

Key activities include online and face-to-face training, individual and on-the-job mentoring, development of new revenue streams, improvement of management and marketing skills, support for technology investments. In addition, content production, emergency support and networking among professionals are offered. 

The overall objective of EU4IM is to contribute to the democratisation and empowerment of the citizens of the Eastern Neighbourhood countries. To achieve this, the programme focuses on two specific goals: 

Improving the quality and diversity of information: content production, training of journalists and the creation of regional networks will be funded.

Ensuring the financial viability of the media: support and appropriate tools will be provided to independent media managers, both commercial and mission-based. 

EU4IM is structured around five pillars of action:

• Capacity building 
• Production support 
• Financial sustainability 
• Exchanges between professionals 
• Knowledge management 

The Technical Assistance project, led by DT Global, is implemented in consortium with two leading industry bodies: the World Association of News Publishers (WAN-IFRA) and the European Journalism Centre (EJC), who act as strategic partners. 

EU4IM is the result of years of reflection on the role the EU wants to play with its partners in the Eastern Neighbourhood and the best ways to support independent media in the region. This is why it has been extended to Eastern Partnership countries such as Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine where specific responses to the deterioration of media freedom have been developed, based on the needs of the context so as not to cause harm to the beneficiaries. 

Among the results obtained, it is worth noting that:  

• 90% of 428 journalists participating in training and mentoring sessions perceived an improvement in their skills. 
• 59 out of the 74 beneficiaries of the 1st Call for financial support and mentoring for content production have so far produced 819 stories, while the initial forecast of the Logframe was 200 stories.  
• 18 media outlets have adopted gender-sensitive editorial guidelines. 
• 12 media outlets adopted gender-sensitive editorial guidelines. 
• 89% of 144 managers who participated in training and mentoring sessions perceived an improvement in their skills. 
• 200 professionals participated in networking sessions. 
• 2,700 active users of online platforms were counted. 
• 486 users have used the knowledge repository. 

In this sense, DT Global will increase its global engagement with Ukraine in the coming months. It recently participated in the fourth Spanish Trade Mission in support of the country's economic recovery, in which María Garrón, Managing Director of DT Global Europe, and Gianmattia Lobina, Director of the Business Development Division in Europe, travelled to Kiev to pave the way in shaping reforms in various sectors, such as governance, public finance management, agriculture and economic development, trade, infrastructure and energy. 

Organised by the Spanish Minister of Economy, Trade and Enterprise, Carlos Cuerpo, this Trade Mission gave more than 20 Spanish companies the opportunity to position themselves and establish local contacts for the development of future reconstruction projects. 

"DT Global will make available its wide network of experts and its experience in supporting Ukraine's EU integration process, working in the process of reforming the country's legal framework in various sectors", explains María Garrón. 

In addition, the Technical Assistance to Support the Implementation of the Ukraine Urban Road Safety Project aligns with Ukraine's long-term transport and road safety strategies, strengthening infrastructure and promoting safer roads. 

About DT Global  

DT Global works in partnership with communities, governments and the private sector to deliver innovative solutions that transform lives. DT Global - launched in 2019 - builds on legacy businesses AECOM International Development, Development Transformations, IMC Worldwide and Cardno International Development. With 2,500 employees and experts working in 93 countries, DT Global brings more than 60 years of experience, relationships and technical excellence to improve lives on behalf of our partners, customers and stakeholders. Together, we aim to positively impact 500 million lives by 2045.