Note to Correspondents

DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC INFORMATION, INTERNATIONAL PUBLIC RELATIONS ASSOCIATION

HONOUR PUBLICITY CAMPAIGNS ON DOMESTIC VIOLENCE, WAR PERILS FOR CHILDREN

Two public relations campaigns -- “Help: A Day in the Life” and “No to Domestic Violence” -- have tied for the 2006 United Nations Grand Award for outstanding achievement in public relations.  Jointly sponsored by the United Nations Department of Public Information and the International Public Relations Association (IPRA), the annual award was established in 1990 to recognize excellence in campaigns that address priority issues before the world Organization.

The Award winner, “Help; A Day in the Life” by Weber Shandwick (Glasgow, United Kingdom) consisted of a research report and a compact disc with tracks from leading bands recorded on one day, which became the fastest selling online album of all time, raising more than £450,000 for projects in war zones around the world.  The research report, “Your War is not with Me”, commissioned by the international non-profit organization War Child, highlighted five problems that children face post conflict; the break-down of the social fabric in their communities; being forced to move from their homes; fewer opportunities to earn a decent living; physical and psychological insecurity and no freedom of movement.  War Child, which was formed by a group of journalists and musicians during the 1990s Balkan conflict to help children in the war zone, works in other countries including Afghanistan, Iraq and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

“No to Domestic Violence”, launched by the Turkish newspaper Hürriyet, in partnership with the Contemporary Education Foundation, CNN Turk and Istanbul Governorate Human Rights Department, included a training program entitled “Spouse Relationship Support Programme”.  It was aimed at improving communication and conflict resolution within families, and included a volunteer programme in Turkey, a television public service announcement, a website, a special booklet, print articles and news programmes.  Research conducted during the training sessions of the campaign confirmed that, overall, 39 per cent of Turkish women and 63 per cent of women in the 15 to 19 age group believe wife-beating is justified in some cases.  The campaign that Hürriyet says reached 9,000 women and men in Istanbul and Turkish communities in Germany, culminated in an international conference hosted jointly by Hürriyet and United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) in Turkey in November 2005.

The United Nations Department of Public Information judges also selected one finalist for special mention, Magna Carta Ltd. South Africa, for its campaign on behalf of The Independent Electoral Commission titled “The Power of X”, launched to encourage South Africans, especially youth, to register as voters and then vote in the 2006 municipal elections on 1 March 2006.  Magna Carta claims the integrated campaign -- which involved a song titled “Dreams”, media and community outreach, billboards with elements in all 11 official languages, special events, leaflets, give-aways, etc. -- resulted in the highest voter registration ever recorded in South African elections, at 80 per cent of those registered.

The awards will be presented as part of the 2006 IPRA Golden World Awards at a ceremony on Wednesday, 1 November 2006 in London.

For more information on the awards, please call Dawn Johnston-Britton at 212 963 6984.

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For information media • not an official record