For information only - not an official document

UNIS/OUS/047
24 September 2010

Serbia Wins International Danube Art Master Competition 2010

VIENNA, 24 September (UN Information Service) - Two Serbian children have won the 'International Danube Art Master 2010' competition, the International Commission for the Protection of the Danube River (ICPDR) announced today.

Two Serbian children have won the 'International Danube Art Master 2010' competition, the International Commission for the Protection of the Danube River (ICPDR) announced today.

The International Master is selected from the winners of the national 'Danube Art Master' competitions in 14 Danube Basin countries including Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary, Montenegro, Republic of Moldova, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia and Ukraine. More than 4000 children from these 14 countries entered the competition.

The winning submission was created by two Serbian school girls, Martina Stanojevic and Martina Mihajlovic. Their artistic sculpture, entitled "Recycle - Save the Danube" is creatively made from waste materials, including local natural materials, and represents an appeal to "get active for the rivers".

"This competition is a key element of the annual Danube Day celebration and transcends national borders, emphasizing the complexity of the Danube and its connections to land, animals, forests and people," said Philip Weller, Executive Secretary of the ICPDR.

Children were encouraged to visit local rivers and surrounding areas and to consider what the environment means to them. They were then asked to reflect their thoughts and inspirations through environmental art using materials from in and around the river.

The competition was jointly organized by the ICPDR, the national administrations and the Danube Environmental Forum (DEF), the largest network of environmental NGOs in the Danube Basin. In Serbia the competition was organized by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Management.

"We believe that this competition encourages children to learn more about the Danube and help protect it," said ICPDR Executive Secretary Philip Weller. "It is also an artistic reminder for adults and the representatives of Danube national governments of their joint responsibility to ensure that the Danube is protected for future generations."

The award ceremony in Vienna was attended by the national Danube Art Master winners (and their accompanying persons). After the ceremony, the winners joined a three-day environmental programme, supported by Coca-Cola and organized by the Global Water Partnership Hungary, which includes trips around Vienna, the Schönbrunn Palace and Zoo and the Sea World Museum.

International Commission for the Protection of the Danube River (ICPDR)

The International Commission for the Protection of the Danube River (ICPDR) is an international organization consisting of 14 cooperating states and the European Union. Since its establishment in 1998, the ICPDR has grown into one of the largest and most active international bodies of river basin management expert in Europe. ICPDR deals not only with the Danube itself, but also with the whole Danube River Basin, which includes its tributaries and the ground water resources.

The ultimate goal of the ICPDR is to implement the Danube River Protection Convention (DRPC) and make it a living tool. Its ambitious mission is to promote and coordinate sustainable and equitable water management, including conservation, improvement and rational use of waters for the benefit of the Danube River Basin countries and their people. The ICPDR pursues its mission by making recommendations for the improvement of water quality, developing mechanisms for flood and accident control, agreeing standards for emissions and by assuring that these are reflected in the Contracting Parties' national legislations and applied in their policies.

 

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For further information, please contact:

Philip Weller,
ICPDR Secretariat
Telephone: +43 (0) 26060 5738
Mobile : +43 (0) 676 845200200
Fax: +43 1 26060 5895
Email: philip.weller@unvienna.org
Web site: www.icpdr.org