2023 UNCA Awards Winners

CELEBRATING EXCELLENCE

The United Nations Correspondents Association is honored to announce the 27th annual UNCA Awards and Dag Hammarskjold Fund for Journalists taking place on Friday, December 15th at Casa Cipriani South Street in New York. United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres will be the guest of honor of the evening and Sharon Stone, will attend the event to receive the 2023 UNCA Global Citizen Award. Edizione S.p.A. Chairman Alessandro Benetton and UNICEF USA Ambassador Sofia Carson will also be honored as the 2023 Global Advocates of the Year.

Sharon Stone, 2023 UNCA Global Citizen Award.

Edizione S.p.A. Chairman Alessandro Benetton, 2023 Global Advocate of the Year

UNICEF USA Ambassador Sofia Carson, 2023 Global Advocate of the Year.

The Elizabeth Neuffer Memorial Prize

For print (including online media) coverage of the United Nations, UN agencies and field operations

sponsored by The Alexander Bodini Foundation

This prize is named in honor of Elizabeth Neuffer, the Boston Globe bureau chief at the United Nations, died while on assignment in Baghdad in 2003. She was a model journalist who proved throughout her career that objectivity does not have to mean neutrality. She was passionate, courageous and compassionate, drawing attention to the forgotten places in the world and to the overlooked victims of war. She explored the forces that can ignite fratricidal and genocidal conflict and her work helped inspire the movement that led to the creation of the International Criminal Court. Personally, her colleagues in UNCA treasure her for her inveterate good humor, which counterbalanced her deadly serious explorations of the darker sides of modern history.

Neuffer Gold Medal Recipient

COLUM LYNCH DEVEX (UNITED STATES)

In his winning entry, Colum Lynch, a senior reporter with a background as a diplomatic journalist for Foreign Policy Magazine and the Washington Post, highlighted the UN and various governments’ concerns about Russia’s Black Sea blockade following its invasion of Ukraine. The blockade raised alarms about potential impacts on food prices. Despite frantic attempts to lift the blockade, there was a lack of a practical diplomatic solution to address the impending crisis.

Neuffer Silver Medal Recipient

ALANNAH TRAVERS FREELANCE (UNITED KINGDOM)

Alannah Travers, a British- German journalist, centers her reporting on Iraq, political dynamics, and the human consequences of climate change. In her coverage, she sheds light on the perilous situations faced by over a million internally displaced Iraqis forced to vacate refugee camps. Upon leaving these temporary shelters, the affected individuals frequently discover the absence of homes or employment opportunities.

Neuffer Bronze Medal Recipient

ROY BARBOSA MANILA TODAY (PHILIPPINES)

Roy Barbosa closely monitors the everyday experiences of regular citizens in Metro Manila. In this urban landscape, affordable modes of transportation, such as the popular jeepneys and small-scale operators, are at risk of closure to make room for government-sponsored urban modernization. Extensive protests have shut down key routes in the Philippines’ capital, causing widespread transportation disruptions nationwide.

The Prince Albert II of Monaco & UNCA Global Prize

For print (including online media) and broadcast media (TV & Radio) coverage of Climate Change, Biodiversity, and Water

Since His accession to the Throne in 2005, Prince Albert II of Monaco has made sustainable development His priority. Through His personal leadership, he has committed to promote the well-being of vulnerable communities and the sustainable and equitable management of natural resources.

Prince Albert Gold Medal Recipient

VALERIE VOLCOVICI REUTERS | (UNITED STATES)

Valerie Volcovici has been honored with the Gold Medal for her comprehensive reporting that uncovers substantial obstacles to clean energy policies. Her pioneering stories cover a spectrum of topics, from exposing hurdles hindering the utilization of wind power by Native Americans in the U.S. to shedding light on the global neglect of addressing the alarming contribution of the world’s armed forces to greenhouse gas emissions.

Prince Albert Silver Medal Recipient

MARCO CONGIU SKY TG24 (ITALY)

In his winning entry, Marco Congiu portrayed the imminent danger of climate change through poignant human narratives. His reporting delves into the forced relocation of the Isle of Jean-Charles population, situated near New Orleans, as it is sinking into the Gulf of Mexico caused by storm surges and rising seas. The slowly vanishing island serves as a stark cautionary tale about the challenges looming for larger coastal communities and cities in the years ahead.

Neuffer Bronze Medal Recipient

JUAN CARLOS MACHORRO PERIODISMO Y AMBIENTE (MEXICO)

Juan Carlos Machorro has been awarded the Bronze Medal for his in-depth articles investigating the environmental challenges confronting Mexico. His thorough report, which highlights the looming threat of severe drought in the country, particularly in the state of Queretaro, and outlines potential measures to address the crisis, serves as a compelling call to action for authorities to implement the necessary radical steps to combat the impact of climate change.

The Ricardo Ortega Memorial Prize

For broadcast media (TV & Radio) coverage of the United Nations, UN agencies and field operations

Sponsored by the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC)

This prize is Named in honor of Ricardo Ortega, formerly the New York correspondent for Antena 3 TV of Spain, was one of the leading Spanish journalists of his generation. His determination to bear witness first hand to what was happening around the world took him to dozens of countries. His war reporting from Afghanistan, Chechnya, Yugoslavia and Georgia was especially notable and he had a reputation for honesty, independence, determination and courage shown, for example, by his skeptical coverage of the evidence for Iraqi WMD’s presented to UN. Ricardo Ortega was killed by gunfire while covering Haiti on March 2004.

Ortega Gold Medal Recipient

NHK SPECIAL

(Kohno Kenji, Kamoshida Go, Fujisaki Takeshi, Yano Shohei, Sano Yoshitaka, Yagura Mariko, Maki Hatae, Nishida Katsuki, Sugimoto Yuki, Yokoyama Kenshiro)

THE UN PRODUCTION TEAM(JAPAN)

Mohamed Saliou Camara is an investigative reporter specializing in health and environmental issues. He provides analytical accounts on problems in African countries faced with climate change focusing on how climate crisis is not a single state’s problem but globally interconnected.

Ortega Silver Medal Recipient

SHALINI SINGH FREELANCE & PEOPLE’S ARCHIVE OF RURAL INDIA (INDIA)

Based in Delhi, Shalini Singh has extensively covered the effects of climate change on the livelihoods of farmers and fishermen along the Yamuna River in Delhi. She participated in the Conference of Parties held in Sharm el-Sheikh in November 2022, where she witnessed the introduction of projects such as sustainable urban resilience dependent on cities’ practical implementation of comprehensive climate action plans.

Ortega Bronze Medal Recipient

NADIMA UMAR UTHMAN GHONE TV (GHANA)

In her winning entry, Nadima Umar Uthman, a journalist specializing in sustainable development and related topics in Ghana, highlighted the potential risk of brain damage among children under five in some areas of the country due to reported exposure to lead pollution. Local health workers have raised concerns, noting the inadequacy of most medical facilities to conduct proper tests for lead contamination in children.

All Bios are provided by the winning journalists themselves

2023 UNCA Awards Committee

Valeria Robecco (UNCA President), Giampaolo Pioli (Awards Chairman), Tuyet Nguyen (Awards Selections Coordinator) Sherwin Bryce-Pease (UNCA Executive Member) Edith Lederer (UNCA 1^st Vice President) Betul Yuruk (UNCA 2^nd Vice President) Linda Fasulo (UNCA Secretary)

2023 UNCA Awards Gallery

All 2023 UNCA Awards

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