15th Edition of the Annual Journalist Poverty Eradication Awards

PRISTINA – The Association of Journalists of Kosovo (AGK), in partnership with UN agencies, funds, programmes and entities in Kosovo – The UN Kosovo Team (UNKT), under the coordination of the UN Development Coordinator’s Office, today held the 15th jubilee edition of the Journalist Poverty Eradication Prize event, awarding the best journalist works targeting the eradication of poverty.

In order to keep in line with COVID-19 prevention measures, UN Heads of Agencies as well as jury members participated in the event virtually. The event was held in the open air location of Lapidarium of Kosovo Museum, in Pristina.

UNDP Resident Representative in Kosovo, Maria Suokko, presented the prize for the best written story, which was awarded to the journalist of Koha Ditore, Rexhep Maloku, for his report Youth in Misery, that deal with complicated social issues that marginalised RAE communities are facing in Kosovo.

The best short video story went to Nora Xhuzi and cameraman Edon Gërbani awarded by the Head of UN Women Office in Kosovo, Vlora Tuzi Nushi from the Radio Television of Kosovo. In addition to both authors belonging to Egyptian community, the story deals with housing problem of marginalised RAE communities.

Since there were no submissions for Radio stories, a special prize for the short video story was also awarded to the journalist Anđelka Ćup from the portal “Gračanicaonline” by Larissa Bruun, Deputy Head of UNICEF Office in Kosovo. The story deals with complicated social issues in Roma Mahalla in Mitrovica south.

Visare Mujko Nimani, Head of the UNFPA Office in Kosovo presented the prize in the category of the “Best TV Documentary”. The prize went to the documentary journalist Valdete Osmani from the Radio Television of Kosovo. The story deals with the issue of patriarchal system, still strong in Kosovo and the consequences of selective abortion, in social, population and development terms.

Blerim Azizi, Coordinator of the UN Volunteers Office in Kosovo presented the prize for the best Photography, which went to Valdrin Fetahu from the portal “Gazeta Objektiv”.

President of the Association of Journalists of Kosovo, Gentiana Begolli Pustina and the United Nations Development Coordinator, Ulrika Richardson, addressed to the limited number live participants at the ceremony  and additional numerous virtual participant over Facebook livestream.

The President of AGK, Begolli Pustina, during her speech said that the pandemic paralyzed too many things this year, including the economy, production, social life, but not the work of journalists. According to her, journalists, apart from being on the front-line reporting from overcrowded hospitals, they did not for a moment neglect reporting for those who barely survive in the midst of poverty.

“These are not simply reports of individual cases, but strong messages about the urgent need for the government to prove that it cares about this category. Perhaps, with a few euros in their own pockets, many journalists covered the real Kosovo, things that not all of us can see hand to hand. “Their voice would be silent and we would not hear it even today, without the extraordinary commitment of our colleagues from all ethnicities living in Kosovo”, she declared.

While, in her speech, Ulrika Richardson – United Nations Development Coordinator, stressed the importance of discussing poverty, since for the first time in 20 years, the poverty rate will rise as the result of the pandemics Covid-19.

“We are here today to celebrate the work you do, especially the focus on poverty … It is very important to discuss, hear and see stories about poverty. This  proves to us how difficult it is to fight poverty. One cannot feed the family with two euros a day. The COVID-19 pandemics has exposed the vulnerable side of our society and especially our social services, so it is very important to talk about it, because if we do not talk we risk forgetting who are the people living in poverty and why they live in poverty. . ”, said Richardson.

In the end of the ceremony, Begolli Pustina, congratulated her colleagues for the awards and at the same time on behalf of AJK and the community of journalists, cameramen and photojournalists, expressed heartfelt gratitude to the United Nations agencies in Kosovo led by Ulrika Richardson for the support.  UN Kosovo Team has for 15 years in row stood by journalists, not only in defending their freedoms and rights, but also in encouraging and rewarding their work.

Today’s event was held in honour of the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty on October 17, which was designated by the United Nations Resolution adopted on December 2, 1992 by the UN General Assembly.

Event was broadcasted  live over UNKT Facebook Page

https://fb.watch/1h0hWYEfiJ/