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

Date 22 May 2007
Press Release No. L/27/2007/CS63/23

Sixty-third session of ESCAP
Ministerial meeting

Almaty, Kazakhstan
21 May 2007

Special Event: Asia-Pacific MDG Media Award Ceremony
Tuesday, 22 May 2007
17:00-18:00 hours

Excellencies,
Distinguished participants,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

                It is my great pleasure to welcome you to the Special Event on Asia-Pacific MDG Media Award Ceremony. We are gathered here to recognize some of the excellent media journalists who have made a significant contribution to highlighting issues related to MDGs. 
                               
The Awards have formed an important advocacy initiative of the tripartite regional MDG partnership between ESCAP, UNDP and ADB.  The Awards underscore the pivotal role played by the media in promoting the achievement of the MDGs in the region.  In that context, we note with appreciation the excellent services rendered by Asia – Pacific Institute for Broadcasting Development or AIBD in publicizing the Award, collecting the entries and convening a panel of independent judges to select the winners.

                At the most basic level, the media have a role in providing better understanding and awareness of the MDGs. Surveys consistently reveal that there is a general lack of knowledge regarding the MDGs. The media, being the mass communicators of information, can help to fill this gap.

                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 the dehumanising condition of poverty, hunger and illiteracy.

                Through the powerful mediums of TV, radio, internet and print, the media can focus attention on the human face behind the MDGs – whether that be a child unable to attend school, a woman unable to get the maternal health care she needs or the destruction of our eco-systems.  The media’s ability to propagate these powerful images and words can be a catalyst for change.  Evidence shows that when the media exposes particular issues and the public reacts, positive changes begin to occur.

                For instance, we recently learnt that our activities to engage the media in promoting MDGs have produced some encouraging results. One of the journalists, who participated in our training programme on the MDGs, produced a piece on the lack of education facilities for children in the rural highlands in Papua New Guinea.  The strong public reaction to the report led the government to respond quickly and make necessary changes.  This example and others demonstrate the important role the media can play in encouraging both individuals and governments to take timely action in achieving the MDGs.

                Since the announcement on the awards in October 2006 at the South Asia MDG Forum in Kathmandu, AIBD received more than 100 entries from across the region.  Interest has been high throughout the competition, and to date, I am told, AIBD continues to receive queries about the Awards.  I am pleased that so many journalists took part in the Awards and I want to thank each and every journalist who entered the competition.  My sincerest appreciation also goes to the international board of judges who met over two days to complete the difficult task of sifting through the entries to choose one winner and one runner up for each category.

                Let me once again thank the Asia – Pacific Institute for Broadcasting Development, who acted as Secretariat for the Awards and commend it for its excellent work in managing the competition.  I am pleased to note that the Media Awards has stimulated greater awareness about the MDGs across a broad spectrum of stakeholders and helped alert policy makers to their commitments made at the Millennium Summit in 2000.

                ESCAP, ADB and UNDP look forward to continuing the very fruitful partnership that we have forged with our friends in the Media.

Thank you.

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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