Note No. 5916
27 January 2005

Note to Correspondents

Television Programming Awards to Be Presented on 28 January

Documentaries on Sudan, AIDS in Africa, AIDS in China, Child Sex Trade to Receive Awards

NEW YORK, 26 January (UN Headquarters) -- Broadcasting companies from the United Kingdom, Canada, Hong Kong and the United States will be honoured for television documentaries on Friday evening, 28 January, at the Television Programming and Promotion Awards Ceremony at the Hudson Theatre in New York City.  Shashi Tharoor, Under-Secretary-General for Communications and Public Information, will speak at the awards presentation.

The awards are jointly sponsored by the United Nations Department of Public Information (DPI) and The New York Festivals in order to recognize television programming on issues of importance to the United Nations.

This year’s Gold Award goes to Sky News (United Kingdom) for “Sudan”, a news report on the escalating humanitarian crisis in Western Darfur.

Two Silver Awards will be presented for programming covering HIV/AIDS:  to the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) for “The Value of Life:  AIDS in Africa Revisited”; and to Radio Television Hong Kong for “A War without Guns”, a documentary on AIDS in China.

The winner of the Bronze Award is CNN for “Easy Prey:  Inside the Child Sex Trade” for a documentary on this issue in Romania.

The New York Festivals, founded in 1957, oversees and runs 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 further information, please, call (212) 963-7346 or (212) 963-9480.

* *** *