Note to Correspondents

NEW YORK FESTIVALS/UN PUBLIC INFORMATION DEPARTMENT RADIO AWARDS ON GLOBAL HEALTH,

CHILDREN’S PROTECTION, INDIGENOUS RIGHTS, FREE SPEECH TO BE PRESENTED 19 JUNE

Radio programming from the United States, Australia, Ireland and Sweden will be honoured on Thursday, 19 June, when the United Nations Department of Public Information awards are presented as part of the New York Festivals Radio Programming and Promotion Awards, at Tribeca Rooftop, New York City.

The Gold Award will be presented to XM Satellite Radio, United States, for “The Invisible: Children without Homes”, and the Silver Award to SBS Radio, Australia, for “The Stolen Generation”.  There are two Bronze Award winners: RTE-Ireland for “One in Eleven”, and UR, Sweden, for “Breaking the Silence in Israel”.

“The Invisible: Children without Homes”, which was broadcast on The Bob Edwards Show, is a collage of stories on homeless youth and how they navigate their way through a social service system that has failed them.  As the cost of living increases, programmes for this vulnerable group are drastically cut.  Homeless youth are more likely to suffer from abuse, abandonment, health problems and learning disabilities than other children.

“The Stolen Generation” poses the question of whether one generation can atone for the deeds of another.  This youth-produced programme examines how multicultural generations of Australians react to their Government’s recent apology to the Aborigines for the former State practice of removing indigenous children from their families.

The first co-winner of the Bronze Award, “One in Eleven”, tells stories of breast cancer survivors and how a group of women in Ireland struggle to acquire basic health-care services. “Breaking the Silence in Israel”, the second co-winner, questions freedom of speech in Israel and the need to search for comprehensive information on the conflict in the Middle East.

Jointly sponsored by the Department of Public Information and New York Festivals, the radio awards were established in 1990 to honour exceptional radio programming that best reflects and exemplifies the values, aims and ideals of the United Nations.

The New York Festivals, founded in 1957, oversees six international awards competitions, in film and video, television programming and promotions, radio programming and promotions, television and radio advertising, design and print advertising and interactive media.

For more information, please contact Dina Daoud, tel.: +1 917 367 1088, e‑mail: daoudd@un.org; or visit www.newyorkfestivals.com.

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For information media • not an official record