..Press Release................................ UNESCAP News Services

Date 22 May 2007
Press Release No. G/18/2007/CS63/22

Journalists from Bangladesh, China, Malaysia, India & the Philippines win
UN MDG Media Awards

Winners honoured at UNESCAP Annual Meeting in Almaty


EMBARGOED TILL 1100GMT/1700ALMATY 22 MAY

Almaty (United Nations Information Services, Bangkok) – The challenges faced by an indigenous group in Malaysia in getting basic health services, the fate of tent schools for nomad children in China’s far west, the dreams and hopes of a HIV-positive couple in India – these stories are among the winners of the First Asia-Pacific Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) Media Awards.

The announcement was made and the winners honoured today in Almaty, Kazakhstan, during the annual session of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP). 

At a ceremony attended by representatives of the 62 member governments of UNESCAP, three top winners received the awards, each with a cash prize of $7,000, from Mr. Kim Hak-Su, Under-Secretary-General of United Nations and Executive Secretary of UNESCAP.

 “Through the powerful media of TV, radio, print and the Internet, journalists can focus attention on the human face behind the MDGs,” said Mr. Kim.

“They also have an important role in holding governments accountable to the pledges they made in the Millennium Declaration – the pledge to free the world from dehumanizing condition of poverty, hunger and illiteracy”, he added.

Receiving the awards from Mr. Kim were top winners in the three media categories:

PRINT:  Chin Mui Yoon of Star Magazine, Malaysia, for a piece which examines the challenges in providing basic health services to an indigenous group as Malaysia marches towards achieving the MDGs.

RADIO:  He Fei, Wu Jia, Guan Juanjuan, and Jin Zhao of China Radio International, for a story on a girl school dropout in rural China who finally managed to return to classroom.

TELEVISION:  Li Jiejun of CCTV (China Central TV) International for a feature story looking at innovative solutions in delivering education facilities to nomad children in remote western China.

The runners-up awards, each with a cash prize of $2,000, were won by:

PRINT: Kawaza Main Uddin of New Age, Bangladesh, whose article reviews the country’s performance in achieving the MDGs. The article, while offering an overview, weaves in stories of daily struggle of the ordinary people.

RADIO: Rupa Jha of BBC World Service Trust, India, who follows a HIV-positive couple in India as they challenge the daily prejudices.

TELEVISION: Horacio Severino and Ella Marie C. Evangelista of GMA News & Public Affairs, the Philippines, who provide a window into the life of a couple who live under rails tracks in Manila with thousands of others.  

The awards are jointly sponsored by UNESCAP, UN Development Programme and the Asian Development Bank to encourage media reports which put a human face to the MDGs. The competition, organized by the Asia-Pacific Institute for Broadcasting Development (AIBD) and judged by an international panel of media professionals, attracted over 100 entries from 23 countries.

”Given that this is the first time this competition is held, and given the short period of time for submission, the number and quality of the entries are impressive”, said Jose Maria Carlos, project manager at AIBD. “The interest continued even after the deadline. We are happy to note that many of the entries come from poor countries, which are so much affected by the outcome of the MDG implementation.”

For more information on the winning pieces and to view/listen to them, please visit: www.mdgasiapacific.org

For interviews with the award-winning journalists, please contact:

In Almaty

Mr. Hak-Fan Lau, Chief
UN Information Services Bangkok          
Almaty mobile: +(7 705) 168 1553.               
Fax: +(7-327) 244-2847
Email: unisbkk.unescap@un.org 

Mr. Vlastimil Samek
Representative
Department of Public Information
United Nations Secretariat
Tole Bi 67, Almaty
Tel. +(7-327) 258 26543
Email: dpi.kz@undp.org
http://kazakhstan.unic.org

In Bangkok

Ms. Stephanie Dunstan, Consultant
MDG Advocacy & Communications, ESCAP
Bangkok: tel: +(66-2) 288-2172
Email: dunstan@un.org

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Headquartered in Bangkok, UNESCAP is the largest of the UN's five Regional Commissions in terms of its membership, population served and area covered. The only inter-governmental forum covering the entire Asia-Pacific region, UNESCAP aims to promote economic and social progress. More information on UNESCAP is available from www.unescap.org