The winners of the 12th annual awards for journalists covering the United Nations will be presented by the U.N. Correspondents Association (UNCA) at its annual Awards Dinner and Dance on December 7, 2007, at UN headquarters. The UNCA awards are for the best print, electronic, and broadcast media coverage of the United Nations, its agencies and field operations as well as the best political cartoons reflecting the UN spirit.

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon will present the prizes.

The UNCA Awards include the $10,000 Elizabeth Neuffer Memorial Prize for written media (including online media), the $10,000 Ricardo Ortega Memorial Prize for broadcast journalism, and the $10,000 United Nations Foundation prize for any entry in any medium that best covers the humanitarian and development aspects of the UN and its agencies. The awards are made possible by the generous support of the UN Foundation, Antena 3 TV of Spain, The Boston Globe, and UNCA.

Elizabeth Neuffer, The Boston Globe bureau chief at the United Nations, died while on assignment in Baghdad in 2003. Ricardo Ortega, formerly the New York correspondent for Antena 3 TV of Spain, was one of the leading Spanish journalists of his generation who was shot dead on mission in Haiti in 2004.

Sir Richard Branson, founder and chairman of the Virgin Group, will be honored with the UNCA Citizen of the Year Award, which will be presented by Secretary General Ban. Sir Richard has committed to the greening of corporate business by personally contributing to the fight against global warming. In 2006, he announced at the Clinton Global Initiative that all future proceeds of Virgin Group's transportation companies will be invested into renewable energy initiatives. This commitment is estimated to be $3 billion over the next ten years. In February 2007, Sir Richard announced a $25 million prize to encourage a viable technology, which will result in the net removal of anthropogenic, atmospheric greenhouse gases. Sir Richard is also putting significant focus into Virgin Unite, the independent arm of the Virgin Group that focused on entrepreneurial approaches to social and environmental issues.

All inquiries to attend the awards dinner on December 7, 2007, should be sent to:

  UN Correspondents Association Awards Committee
  Mailbox 613
  The Chrysler Building
  132 East 43rd Street
  New York, NY 10017, USA
  +1 (212) 867-0001
  or by email: office@unca.com attention: Ilona Kolesnichenko.
  Tel: 212-963-7137.

Inquiries regarding the awards for excellence in journalism should be send to Ian Williams, email unca-awards@igc.org, or tel: 212 686 8884

  J. Tuyet Nguyen
  UNCA President

  Ian Williams
  UNCA Awards Committee Chair

First Call Analyst:
FCMN Contact:

SOURCE: U.N. Correspondents Association