OSCE Office in Yerevan presents awards to environmental journalists

YEREVAN, 13 January 2004 - Awards for the best TV, radio programmes and newspaper articles on environmental issues were presented yesterday in the OSCE Office in Yerevan.

"The media has a special role to play with regard to environmental issues," said Ambassador Vladimir Pryakhin, Head of the OSCE Office in Yerevan. "We believe that such a competition stimulates the journalistic community to be more active in covering environmental problems and thus attracting the attention of the public."

Some 50 journalists took part in the competition organised jointly by the OSCE Office in Yerevan and the "Environmental Survival" NGO. The jury consisted of representatives of the Board of Experts of the Public Environmental Information Centre (Aarhus Centre). The prize-winners in each category - TV, radio, newspapers - were presented with a special certificate and money awards by Ambassador Pryakhin.

The involvement of journalists in the process of highlighting environmental issues is essential, since it guarantees public participation in ecological decision-making and raising awareness on environmental issues, which are the requirements of the Aarhus Convention, ratified by Armenia in 2001.

The OSCE Office in Yerevan was established in February 2000 to promote the implementation of OSCE principles and commitments as well as the co-operation of the Republic of Armenia within the OSCE framework, in all OSCE dimensions, including the human, political, economic and environmental aspects of security and stability.

Following ratification of the Aarhus Convention by Armenia, the Office supported the establishment of the Public Environmental Information Centre (Aarhus Centre) at the Ministry of Nature Protection in 2002. The Centre is run by an independent Board of Experts with an advisory assistance from the international community.