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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.
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