UN ECONOMIC COMMISSION
FOR EUROPE AND UN OFFICE IN UZBEKISTAN
ANNOUNCE INTERNATIONAL PHOTO CONTEST
"WATER IS LIFE"
Geneva and Tashkent, 30 May 2003
- The contest is co-sponsored by
the Academy of Arts of Uzbekistan, Tashkent
House of Photography, the Japan International
Cooperation Agency and Steinert Industries
Company. It is open to professional
and amateur photographers from the countries
of Central and Eastern Europe and CIS.
The competition is
being held in conjunction with the International
Year of Freshwater 2003. It
aims at increasing public awareness
of the importance of freshwater for
every aspect of human life, from basic
health and survival to agriculture and
industry. The organizers also seek to
draw public attention to the current
water problems facing many regions,
especially Central Asia.
The contest's theme
"Water is Life" endeavours
to inspire photographers to express,
through pictures, their vision of the
linkage between human well-being and
the sustainable use and management of
water resources.
"With one European
in seven still lacking access to safe
drinking water, water has become a key
issue not only in Central Asia, but
also throughout the region. I hope that
this contest will draw the attention
of both the authorities and the public
at large to the potential threat to
human health and to peace that the mismanagement
of water resources may cause" said Mrs.
Brigita Schmögnerová, Under-Secretary-General
of the United Nations and Executive
Secretary of the United Nations Economic
Commission for Europe (UNECE).
"With this competition
we would like to remind everyone of
the crucial role of water in human development
and at the same time to encourage a
greater understanding of the need to
use precious freshwater resources more
wisely," said Richard Conroy, UN
Resident Coordinator in Uzbekistan.
With the support of
UN offices in Central and Eastern Europe
and CIS, the announcement of the photo
contest "Water is Life" has
been circulated to the mass media, photographic
organizations as well as individuals
in those countries in order to achieve
wider national participation.
An international jury
will finalize the contest in early September.
The awards include diplomas and prizes
worth US$ 8,000 in total. All winning
and commended photos will go on display
in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, and Geneva,
Switzerland. They will also be published
in a commemorative catalogue and posted
on the Internet. The awards will be
presented to the winners at the opening
of the first exhibit in Tashkent in
December 2003.
The UN General Assembly
has proclaimed 2003 as the International
Year of Freshwater, inviting its Member
States, the UN system and all other
actors to take advantage of the Year
to increase awareness of the importance
of water resources and to generate the
action needed to improve the current
water situation throughout the world.
For further information, please contact:
United Nations Office in Uzbekistan
Information Centre
4, T. Shevchenko Str.
700029, Tashkent
Uzbekistan
Tel.: +99871 1523529; 1391257
Fax: +99871 1336965
E-mail: [email protected]
or
[email protected]
Web site: http://www.undp.uz
or:
United Nations Economic Commission
for Europe (UNECE)
Information Service
Palais des Nations, Room 356
CH - 1211 Geneva 10, Switzerland
Tel: +41(0)22 917 44 44
Fax: +41(0)22 917 05 05
E-mail: [email protected]
Web site: http://www.unece.org/
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Ref: ECE/GEN/03/P08