Discussions highlighted a common theme: the rapid expansion of AI and digital infrastructure is outpacing efforts to understand and address its impacts on people and the planet. Business leaders reflected on their responsibility to better manage these risks, while journalists discussed the need to report on innovation and accountability as one story rather than two, drawing on their own experiences of investigating and publishing stories that examine the real-world impacts of technology on communities and supply chains. Participants also highlighted the importance of engaging affected communities early to build trust and mitigate long-term risks. A recurring message was that none of this can happen without collaboration: business, media, policy makers and civil society all need to be part of the same conversation to ensure the digital economy grows responsibly and remains accountable.

The “Asia in Focus” media grant aims to turn those discussions into action by supporting journalists to investigate how the region’s digital transformation is affecting people and the environment. 

About the grant

Four grants of USD 4,000 each are available. Eligible applicants include independent media organizations, registered civil society organizations (CSOs) producing media content, and established independent multimedia journalist collectives operating in Mongolia, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand. Cross-border collaboration is encouraged and joint applications are welcome. Unregistered media collectives or informal youth filmmaker groups can also apply, as long as they partner with an eligible, registered organization as the lead applicant.

Selected teams will produce a short form video documentary of up to 10 minutes on one of three themes:
•    The Infrastructure Footprint: Documenting how hyperscale data center construction or semiconductor manufacturing affects local natural resources (e.g., municipal water depletion, grid reliance on coal/fossil fuels, or transboundary pollution).
•    The Digital Assembly Line: Humanizing the labor conditions of hidden tech workers, including AI data annotators, content moderators, and electronics manufacturing workers facing precarious labor standards or unsafe supply-chain environments.
•    Fast-Tracked Trade and Local Rights: Showing how local communities, public interest lawyers, or environmental human rights defenders are pushing for transparency and corporate remedy when rapid tech projects bypass standard environmental impact assessments (EIAs).

Applicants need at least three years of experience producing visual journalism on social or environmental issues. Applications will be assessed on technical capacity, originality and regional angle, editorial safety and planning, and a rights-based approach, with distribution reach also factored in.

Key dates

•    15 August: Applications close
•    30 September: Long-listed candidates will be notified
•    15 October: Grantees announced

A mentorship period runs from October 2026 to January 2027, ahead of the public launch of the Asia in Focus mini-doc series in March 2027 at the Corporate Sustainability and Environmental Rights in Asia conference.

Submit your application

Applications submitted by email will not be considered. 

Asia in Focus is part of Agents of Change: Youth and Media for Responsible Business Practices, a joint initiative of UNDP’s Business and Human Rights Asia Portfolio and the European Union, delivered in partnership with the Earth Journalism Network.