DesirMED Seeks 100 Climate Ambassadors to Share Mediterranean Adaptation Stories

Through DesirMED, the European Union initiative helping Mediterranean regions adapt to climate change, Climate KIC is seeking 100 climate ambassadors whose own local stories can show neighbours how adaptation works in practice. The DesirMED Climate Ambassadors call is open to people from Mediterranean communities, and selected ambassadors will join a community of 100 changemakers, with their stories featured on the DesirMED platform.

The call, listed again on 20 October 2026, closes on 31 December 2026. It is a different programme from the European Climate Pact ambassador call and from youth ambassador schemes covered earlier by Watan News: DesirMED is specifically about adaptation in the Mediterranean, and about nature-based solutions — working with nature, rather than only against it, to reduce climate risk.

What DesirMED Climate Ambassadors do

Ambassadors share a personal story of tackling a climate challenge in their own area. Climate KIC, which runs the call through DesirMED, gives examples: mobilising neighbours to plant trees, protecting the dunes at a local beach, restoring a small wetland, helping a community after a fire or a flood, harvesting rainwater, or building a school garden.

The story can be submitted as a short video, an audio recording, a series of captioned photographs, or a written blog or article of no more than 700 words. According to the call listing, the application form is available in English, Spanish, Portuguese, French and Italian. Applicants need a concrete local story or project: this is a storytelling and network role, not a funded fellowship or a job.

Why the Mediterranean needs its own ambassadors

DesirMED is an EU-funded project that works with five demonstrating regions and three replicating regions across the Mediterranean, coordinated by the Euro-Mediterranean Centre on Climate Change (CMCC), with Climate KIC coordinating capacity building so regions can learn from one another. Its focus is transformative adaptation through nature-based solutions, with regional leaders and communities involved at every level.

That local focus matters because Mediterranean climate risks are lived locally: hotter summers, water scarcity, wildfire and flood damage, and pressure on coasts and farmland. A national plan or a research report rarely changes behaviour on its own. A neighbour who has already protected a dune, restored a wetland or stored rainwater — and can explain what worked and what did not — is far more persuasive.

DesirMED Climate Ambassadors already sharing their stories

The DesirMED Climate Adaptation Diaries already publish ambassador stories. Among them is Christian Galletta, who works on energy and climate transition for Mediterranean islands and writes about connecting island regions with the European level so that no region is left behind. Other diary contributors write about the sea, about plants flowering earlier than they used to, and about glaciers melting before their eyes — small, observed changes that make a warming climate tangible.

Selected ambassadors will also have the chance to take part in DesirMED events and initiatives, including upcoming Adaptation Festivals and Exhibitions in Greece, Spain and Cyprus, where local stories meet regional policy.

Who can apply, and how

The call focuses on individuals from Mediterranean communities who are passionate about climate and nature solutions. The call listing names Portugal, Spain, France, Italy, Croatia, Greece and Cyprus among the focus countries, and notes the call is also open to candidates from other Mediterranean countries, inside and outside the European Union.

Applications close on 31 December 2026 at 00:00 Central European Time, according to the call listing. Anyone applying should prepare one clear story — the challenge, what they did, what they learned, and what changed — rather than a general statement about climate change.

Watan News recently reported on applications opening for the African Climate Alliance Ambassador Programme 2027, another ambassador route for emerging climate activists. DesirMED’s Mediterranean adaptation focus makes it a distinct opportunity for people already working on local resilience.

FAKTA: DesirMED Climate Ambassadors at a glance

• Programme: DesirMED Climate Ambassadors, run by Climate KIC through DesirMED, the EU initiative helping Mediterranean regions adapt to climate change
• Places: 100 ambassadors from Mediterranean communities; focus countries include Portugal, Spain, France, Italy, Croatia, Greece and Cyprus
• What ambassadors do: Share a local climate story and join a community of 100 changemakers; stories featured on the DesirMED platform
• How to apply: Short video, audio recording, captioned photo series, or written piece of up to 700 words
• Deadline: 31 December 2026, 00:00 Central European Time, according to the call listing
• Also on offer: Participation in Adaptation Festivals and Exhibitions in Greece, Spain and Cyprus

DesirMED’s bet is simple: adaptation spreads fastest through stories people trust, told by people who live with the risk. One hundred ambassadors, each with a dune, a garden, a wetland or a water tank behind their story, could carry that message further than any single campaign.

Frequently asked questions

What is DesirMED?

DesirMED is an EU-funded initiative set up to help people in Mediterranean regions adapt to climate change, with an emphasis on nature-based solutions. It works with demonstrating and replicating regions, coordinated by the Euro-Mediterranean Centre on Climate Change, with Climate KIC coordinating capacity building.

Who can become a DesirMED Climate Ambassador?

Individuals from Mediterranean communities who are passionate about climate and nature solutions and who have a personal story, experience or solution tackling a local climate challenge. The call listing names Portugal, Spain, France, Italy, Croatia, Greece and Cyprus among the focus countries, and notes it is also open to candidates from other Mediterranean countries.

What do ambassadors submit?

A personal story in one of four formats: a short video, an audio recording, a series of photographs with captions, or a written blog or article of no more than 700 words. The story should show a real local challenge, what was done, and what was learned.

Is this a paid job or a funded fellowship?

No. According to the call listing, this is an honorary, network-building opportunity: ambassadors join a community of 100 changemakers, have their stories featured on the DesirMED platform, and can take part in events such as Adaptation Festivals and Exhibitions. It is not employment or a funded fellowship.

When does the call close?

The call listing gives a deadline of 31 December 2026 at 00:00 Central European Time. Applicants should submit well before the deadline and check the official Climate KIC call page for the current form.