Project title: Call for UAE-based Media and PR Agencies – Greenpeace MENA
Targeted Country: UAE – Remote
Duration: One-year contract
Reporting to: Communications & Media Manager
Background on Greenpeace MENA:
Greenpeace Middle East and North Africa (MENA) is an environmental organization established in 2018 to address the unique and complex environmental and climate challenges facing this region, which we call our home. As a politically and financially independent non-profit organisation, we are dedicated to empowering local communities and collaborating with allies to develop innovative and practical solutions that help people to live in harmony with the environment.
Background on the Project:
Greenpeace MENA is seeking a dynamic, experienced UAE-based Media and PR agency to partner with for 1 year (2026/2027). This collaboration will play a central role in shaping and executing our communications and media engagement strategy, with a primary focus on the UAE.
The selected agency will help amplify Greenpeace MENA’s work, elevate our public profile, and strengthen our brand positioning in the UAE. In addition to leading traditional media relations, circulation (online and offline), event publicity, and awards positioning. The agency will support the Executive Director and other spokespersons through strategic communications and profile-building. The agency will also be expected to proactively identify visibility and thought-leadership opportunities, including conferences, interviews, niche media angles, and panel engagements. At the same time, contributing to the long-term strengthening of our institutional reputation and leadership presence.
A critical part of this partnership will be navigating cultural and political sensitivities, ensuring all messaging aligns with the UAE’s context and maintains Greenpeace MENA’s voice, values, and integrity.
2. Purpose of the Assignment
The purpose of this assignment is to appoint a UAE-based Media and PR agency to support Greenpeace MENA in shaping and implementing a focused communications and media engagement strategy, with primary emphasis on the UAE and secondary emphasis on pan-Arab media.
The selected agency will provide strategic counsel, media relations support, content development, media monitoring, reputational risk advice, and spokesperson preparation. The agency is expected to go beyond media distribution and act as a strategic partner that helps Greenpeace MENA build long-term relationships with influential journalists, editors, producers, commentators, and media platforms.
The partnership should contribute to:
– Strengthening Greenpeace MENA’s brand recognition and credibility in the UAE.
– Increasing high-quality coverage in Tier 1 UAE and pan-Arab media.
– Improving media readiness around campaigns, reports, events, and advocacy moments.
– Supporting proactive and reactive media engagement.
– Enhancing spokesperson visibility and preparedness.
– Protecting Greenpeace MENA’s reputation in sensitive or fast-moving contexts.
3. Objectives
The main objectives of this assignment are to:
– Enhancing Greenpeace MENA’s brand recognition, credibility, and positioning in the UAE.
– Building and maintaining strong relationships with UAE-based Tier 1 media and pan-Arab media.
– Supporting proactive and reactive media engagement around Greenpeace MENA campaigns, reports, events, and strategic priorities.
– Securing high-quality media coverage that supports Greenpeace MENA’s mission, values, and advocacy goals.
– Providing strategic counsel on the UAE media landscape, reputational risks, stakeholder sensitivities, and communications opportunities.
– Strengthening spokesperson visibility and preparing Greenpeace MENA representatives for media engagements.
– Improving media monitoring, analysis, reporting, and learning to inform future communications decisions.
4. Scope of Work
A. Stakeholder Mapping & Profiling
The agency is expected to contribute to Greenpeace MENA’s strategic intelligence by developing a comprehensive stakeholder ecosystem map to support positioning and outreach efforts. This includes:
- Creating a multi-tier stakeholder map covering government entities, legislative bodies, energy stakeholders, strategic media, academics, think tanks, and community influencers.
- Developing rolling profiles of key individuals, including influence level, stance, communication preferences, and tailored engagement recommendations.
– Maintaining a continuously updated contact database to support advocacy, visibility, and long-term brand-building goals.
B. UAE-Focused Media and PR Strategy
The agency will develop, in close coordination with Greenpeace MENA, an annual UAE-focused communications and media engagement strategy. This should include:
– Priority media audiences.
– Key UAE, national agency, and pan-Arab media targets.
– Strategic narratives and positioning opportunities.
– Media moments linked to Greenpeace MENA campaigns and reports.
– Risk considerations and sensitive issues.
– Develop and refine clear, compelling, and audience-specific key messages to strengthen the organization’s positioning in the UAE and pan-Arab media landscape.
– Spokesperson visibility opportunities.
– A practical implementation timeline.
C. Strategic Visibility, Branding, and Thought Leadership Positioning
Beyond traditional media pitching, the agency will play a proactive role in elevating Greenpeace MENA’s presence and credibility in the UAE, through visibility scouting, strategic branding, and executive profiling. Responsibilities include:
1. Opportunity Scanning & External Visibility
- Monitoring the UAE (conferences, summits, industry forums, policy events) context updates and proposing high-value speaking, partnership, and visibility opportunities.
– Identifying niche editorial cycles, expert commentary angles, and media collaborations that reinforce Greenpeace MENA’s leadership position.
2. Executive Director & Spokespersons Profiling
– Prioritizing positioning the Executive Director as the primary public voice in emerging legitimacy-building markets, supplemented by campaigners’ expertise when strategically relevant.
– Securing exclusive op-eds, interviews, and thought-leadership opportunities aligned with Greenpeace MENA’s mission and priority campaigns.
– Providing individualized briefing support, messaging guidance, and preparation for interviews, panels, TV/radio appearances, and conference engagements.
3. Strategic Branding & Recognition
– Identifying award and recognition opportunities relevant to Greenpeace MENA’s campaigns, leadership, and thematic work.
– Ensuring all communications consistently reflect Greenpeace MENA’s branding, tone of voice, and organizational values.
– Co-creating and distributing branded media kits, spokesperson bios, visual assets, and key messaging packs to strengthen brand recognition among media and partners.
D. Content Development
– Developing tailored content for interviews, op-eds, speeches, and multi-format media appearances.
– Supporting the organization in articulating compelling narratives that amplify the region.
4. Proactive Media Pitching Engagement
4.1 The agency is expected to take a highly proactive and initiative-driven approach to media engagement, actively identifying, creating, and pursuing media opportunities in addition to responding to media requests. The agency will lead outreach, drive story placement, and consistently bring forward new angles, timing opportunities, and access to relevant journalists. Specifically, the agency will:
– Distributing press releases and media communications in Arabic and English to Tier-1 media, including national agencies and pan-Arab media.
– Facilitating media interviews by proactively engaging targeted journalists, managing all scheduling and coordination, and ensuring interviews align with strategic messaging during Greenpeace MENA events.
– Ensuring comprehensive on-site media coverage at offline events, providing direct access for Greenpeace MENA to key journalists as needed. Media engagement should prioritize diversity in outlets and presence. The agency is expected to expand media reach by incorporating new or under-engaged outlets when feasible, while prioritizing relevance, audience fit, and quality of coverage.
– Supporting spokespersons by shaping strategic messages, conducting scenario-based briefings, offering real-time guidance before public or media engagements, and ensuring they are fully prepared for high-impact appearances.
– Ensuring traditional media leverages their social media channels to amplify key strategic coverage and event highlights, maximizing reach across platforms.
– Ensuring all communications consistently reinforce Greenpeace MENA’s brand, mission, and messaging.
4.2 Media Mapping and Relationship Building
The agency will develop and maintain an updated media database covering:
– Tier 1 UAE newspapers, TV, radio, digital, and business media.
– Pan-Arab newspapers, TV channels, news agencies, and digital platforms.
– Arabic and English-language media.
– Climate, environment, energy, sustainability, business, philanthropy, and policy journalists.
– Editors, producers, opinion editors, podcast hosts, and influential commentators.
The agency will actively support Greenpeace MENA in building meaningful media relationships, not only transactional pitching contacts.
4.3 Media Targeting
The agency will take a strategic, proactive approach to media targeting, going beyond standard distribution lists to identify, cultivate, and expand Greenpeace MENA’s media reach. The agency will continuously scan the media landscape to spot new opportunities, prioritize high-impact outlets, and ensure the right stories reach the right journalists at the right time. This includes:
– Targeting Tier 1 UAE, regional, and international correspondents, including global outlets such as the Guardian, Financial Times, and Bloomberg Climate. Outreach must prioritize proactive engagement with national news agencies as a key channel for both the UAE and Pan-Arab media reach.
– Managing embargoed media distribution, ensuring content is first shared with a select media list under embargo, followed by full distribution on the release date.
– Securing media placements in key outlets with a focus on UAE Tier 1 (including National Agency) & Pan-Arab media reach.
– Supporting the placement of op-eds in Pan-Arab media and UAE outlets.
– Providing 24/7 support for major events including COP31 and INC5, as required.
4.4 Media Communications and Content Development
The agency will draft, edit, localize, and support the distribution of media communications materials in coordination with GP MENA, which includes, but is not limited to:
– Press releases.
– Media advisories.
– Key messages.
– Q&A documents.
– Spokesperson briefing notes.
– Opinion article pitches.
– Interview briefing packs.
– Event media invitations.
– Backgrounders and fact sheets.
5. Specific Global Movements Deliverables
Developing and executing a dedicated COP31, INC5.3 framework, with specific objectives. This may include, but is not limited to: number of interviews secured, Tier-1 UAE media coverage, Pan-Arab media, and engagement with international UAE-based correspondents (both online and on-site).
6. Journalist Relationship Building
Establishing and maintaining relationships with journalists across specific verticals, linking them to the GP MENA Media Team. Key verticals include:
– Climate & Environment
– Business & Finance
– Policy & Governance
– Fossil Fuel
– Plastics
Alternatively, developing a generalist approach to journalist engagement is justified by the agency’s strategy.
7. Media Monitoring and Analysis
The agency will monitor and track all media coverage (online and offline), providing actionable insights and earned media value. Responsibilities include:
-Tracking online and offline media sources, including newspapers, magazines, websites, and social media.
– Providing insights on campaign performance, earned media value, and actionable recommendations.
– Monitoring and tracking media coverage by compiling comprehensive media coverage reports with each push, including clippings and online mentions.
– Providing a comprehensive year-end report, including a summary of activities, outcomes, lessons learned, and recommendations for future campaigns.
8. Crisis Management
– Providing immediate support to manage crises and safeguard Greenpeace MENA’s brand and spokespersons’ reputation.
– Crisis forecasting, response, and media monitoring.
– Preparation of reactive holding statements and media intelligence reports.
9. Team Structure, Capacity & Availability Requirements
To ensure high-quality delivery, agencies must provide a clear operational structure and demonstrate readiness for intensive periods such as COP31. Requirements include:
– A proposed team structure with names, roles, seniority levels, and the estimated number of hours allocated to the Greenpeace MENA account.
– Confirmation of extended availability and responsiveness during major milestones (COP31, INC meetings, report launches, crises).
– A clear escalation pathway and rapid-response procedure for urgent communication needs.
– Identification of senior leadership oversight to ensure strategic consistency and high-level quality control.
5. Deliverables
The selected agency is expected to deliver the following over the 12-month contract period:
5.1 Strategy & Planning
- An annual UAE-focused media and communications strategy delivered within the first 30 days
- A comprehensive stakeholder and media mapping database delivered within 60 days and updated quarterly
- A quarterly media opportunity and visibility calendar (a total of four)
5.2 Media Relations & Coverage
– Minimum 60 proactive media pitches per year (across UAE Tier 1, Pan-Arab, and international outlets)
– Minimum 100 secured media placements per year in Tier 1 UAE and Pan-Arab outlets
– Minimum 6 op-ed placements in Pan-Arab and UAE outlets per year
– Minimum 20 media interviews facilitated per year for GP MENA spokespersons, ensuring a diverse media mix.
– Minimum 2 exclusive features or long-form profiles secured per year
5.3 Content & Communications Materials
– Press releases, media advisories, key messages, Q&As, and briefing notes as needed (estimated 30–40 per year)
– Spokesperson briefing packs for all major media engagements
5.4 Spokesperson & Visibility
– Minimum 5 speaking or panel opportunities identified and secured for the Executive Director per year
– Minimum 3 strategic prestigious award or recognition nominations submitted per year
5.5 Global Moments & GP MENA events
– Minimum of 3 dedicated media frameworks with specific objectives and targets for GP MENA events
– Minimum of 3 dedicated strategic event media frameworks (e.g., COP31, INC5.3, WEF, and other explored opportunities), with specific objectives and measurable targets
– On-site and online media support during events
5.6 Monitoring & Reporting
– Monthly media monitoring and coverage reports (12 per year), with real-time monitoring and on-the-spot proactive pitching whenever a relevant news moment, policy development, or environmental story emerges, independent of the monthly reporting cycle.
– Post-campaign reports following each push
– 1 comprehensive year-end report including earned media value, outcomes, lessons learned, and recommendations
– Monthly check-in meetings to discuss opportunities, risks, and positioning guidance (12 per year)
5.7 Crisis Management
– 24/7 availability during crises
– Reactive holding statements within 2 hours of crisis escalation
– Post-crisis media intelligence report within 5 working days
Agencies interested in applying shall submit:
Agency profile and relevant experience in environmental communications or public engagement in the MENA region, including but not limited to:
A. Technical proposal: comprehensive submission comprising: including
A.1 Agency profile, areas of specialization, and footprint
A.2 Portfolio of Relevant Work: A selection of previous campaigns, media relations activities, and event activations, preferably environmental or cause-driven, that demonstrate the agency’s ability to generate high-quality coverage, command top-tier outlet relationships across the UAE and broader region, and drive measurable public engagement.
A.3 Core team composition: full names, titles, and CVs of team members who will be directly assigned to this account
A.4 Client References & Endorsements A minimum of three recommendation or referral letters from recent or current clients, with preference given to references from non-governmental organizations.
B. Financial proposal with a detailed breakdown of the budget itemized.
Submission Deadline: June 12 2026
Contact: [email protected]
