Note to Correspondents

‘BRIDGING THE DIGITAL DIVIDE’ PUBLICITY CAMPAIGN TO RECEIVE AWARD FROM DEPARTMENT

OF PUBLIC INFORMATION, INTERNATIONAL PUBLIC RELATIONS ASSOCIATION

A media relations campaign aimed at promoting the distribution of laptop computers to children in the world’s poorest countries has been chosen for the 2008 United Nations Grand Award for outstanding achievement in public relations. 

The campaign, “Bridging the Digital Divide”, was developed to influence Governments to support the work of One Laptop per Child (OLPC).  Launched in 2005 by Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Professor Nicholas Negroponte, the non-profit organization seeks to provide laptops to children and empower young people through access to education.

The social campaign created by Racepoint Group, which is on the advisory board of OLPC, focused on three communication objectives:  to engage 10 countries identified by the United Nations as least developed countries in discussions with OLPC; to encourage two to three developed countries to finance the delivery of the laptops; and to promote participation among United States and Canadian consumers in the campaign to deliver 100,000 laptops.

Throughout 2007, Racepoint launched a series of announcements on key development, manufacturing and distribution goals to show how OLPC could design, mass produce and deliver low-cost children’s laptops.  Stories placed in print and broadcast media as well as blog posts have garnered worldwide attention for OLPC.

Outcomes of the campaign include raising $35 million in the United States and Canada to fund the delivery of laptops to children in Afghanistan, Cambodia, Ethiopia, Haiti, Mongolia and Rwanda.  In addition, OLPC has purchase agreements with Uruguay and Peru.  The Netherlands and Italy are in discussion with OLPC to fund laptops in their former associated territories.  OLPC America was launched to work with state governments in the United States.

The United Nations Grand Award will be presented as part of the 2008 IPRA Golden World Awards at a ceremony on Tuesday, 10 June, in London.

The annual Award is jointly sponsored by the United Nations Department of Public Information and the International Public Relations Association (IPRA), a professional organization for senior international public relations executives.  The Grand Award was established in 1990 to recognize excellence in campaigns that address priority issues before the world Organization.

For more information, please contact Dina Daoud at e-mail:  daoudd@un.org, or tel.:  917 367 1088.

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For information media • not an official record