Imelda Abano is an environmental journalist, mentor and a media trainer with more than 20 years of experience covering climate change, biodiversity, energy, environmental-health, illegal wildlife trade and other related topics in the Philippines, Asia and Pacific Region. Imelda is the founding President of the Philippine Network of Environmental Journalists (PNEJ).

She has been covering the United Nations-backed climate change conferences for 15 years now as a fellow and a media trainer under the United Nations Framework of Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and Internews’ Earth Journalism Network (EJN). As EJN’s Senior Coordinator for the Philippines and the Pacific Region, she has managed media support activities such as climate change and environmental reporting workshops, mentorship, cross-border collaborative reporting,  commissioning stories, networking with media organizations and individual journalists, and developing resource materials. She has helped train more than 5,000 journalists across the world.
   
For her contribution to climate change and environmental journalism, Imelda was recognized as the Philippines Climate Change Media Champion in 2018 and 2019 by Al Gore’s Climate Reality Project. She was the Asia Development Journalist of the Year for 2009, a UN Gold Medal Champion on Humanitarian and Development Reporting in 2009, IUCN-Reuters Asia Awardee on Environmental Reporting in 2002. She is a former member of the board of directors of the Society of Environmental Journalists.

IVLP Impact Award Project: Strengthening Solutions-Based Climate Reporting for Philippine Journalists

This project equipped 20 journalists with skills crucial for effective climate reporting. A workshop focused on solutions-based approaches was convened  just before the 28th Conference of Parties (COP28) of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in Dubai. A solutions-based climate reporting tipsheet was created, designed to empower news organizations and journalists to report more effectively on climate-related issues.

Imelda was also a panelist for the IVLP Impact Awards Alumni Discussion Series panel on “Protecting Environmental Resources,” which you can read more about here.

"As the editor of a community-oriented media outfit, the Climate Solutions Journalism workshop that we attended played a pivotal role in shaping our editorial framework and refining our workflow for climate and environmental reporting in the Philippines. This experience instilled a solutions-oriented mindset and enriched our storytelling tools. It empowered us to effectively guide our local reporters and citizen journalists, ensuring they cover actionable stories in their communities with depth, purpose, and impact. Thanks to IVLP alumni, Imelda Abano" - Project Participant

IVLP Exchange Experience 

Imelda  participated in the IVLP Project The Climate Crisis: Working Together for Future Generations for the Indo-Pacific and Central Asia, organized by the U.S. Department of State and Meridian International Center in partnership with Global Ties San Francisco, Global New Orleans and Global Ties Miami.

Imelda's exchange experience led to the development of her IVLP Impact Award project: "My IVLP experience has inspired me to build a sense of hope that scalable solutions to manage the escalating threat of [the] climate crisis are achievable."

US Communities Visited

San Francisco, CA; Washington, DC; Miami, FL; New Orleans, LA

"I was inspired by the vast knowledge shared to our group, the activities, learning trips and interaction [with] people who are working to make a sustainable environment. Now I want to do my part, that is to strengthen the quality of climate reporting through a solutions lens." - Imelda Abano

Country: Philippines 

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