UNITED NATIONS POPULATION AWARD CEREMONY

Note to Correspondents

United Nations Population Award Ceremony

The United Nations Population Award was started in 1983 and is presented annually to individuals and institutions for their outstanding work in the field of population and in the improvement of the health and welfare of individuals.  Winners are selected by an Award Committee made up of representatives of United Nations Member States.

The 2004 Award winners are:

-- John C. Caldwell:  Internationally acclaimed demographer and scientist, Mr. Caldwell has published over 300 articles in the field of population.  His work to frame the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Africa as a demographic, epidemiological and sociocultural phenomenon is unparalleled.  Mr. Caldwell’s 1976 paper, “Restatement of demographic transition theory”, on the changing directions of intergenerational wealth flows, remains the single most influential work in this area.  The majority of his research focuses on sub-Saharan Africa and Asia.  Mr. Caldwell is Emeritus Professor of Demography in the Research School of Social Sciences at the AustralianNationalUniversity, Canberra.

-- Dr. Catherine Hamlin:  The Addis Ababa Fistula Hospital, which she founded in 1974, is a pioneer in the treatment of childbirth injuries.  It uniquely specializes in the treatment and care of women living with obstetric fistula, a devastating childbirth injury that damages a woman’s birth canal and leaves her incontinent.  The hospital provides free medical care to over 1,200 women annually and has treated over 25,000 women.  It uses a holistic approach to restore the health and dignity of fistula sufferers, offering literacy classes, physiotherapy and support to help women rejoin their communities once they are cured.  The hospital has also become a teaching institution for surgeons throughout the developing world.

The award ceremony will be held Tuesday, 6 July, from 5 to 6 p.m., to be followed by reception at the Trusteeship Council, United Nations, New York.

Speakers will be Louise Fréchette, United Nations Deputy Secretary-General, Thoraya Ahmed Obaid, Executive Director, United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), Mr. Caldwell and Dr. Hamlin.

The Award recipients will be available for media interviews.

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