UNDP Uzbekistan

On the occasion of the World Press Freedom Day, Uzbekistan held the Seventh International Contest “Oltin qalam” (Golden pen) for Excellence in Journalism among the media professionals.

Held traditionally in Turkistan Palace in Tashkent, the competition is organized by the Creative Union of Journalist with support from a range of other local and international institutions. With over 8000 works submitted to the Jury this year, 28 out of 470 participants were considered the best and have received awards in various nominations.

UNDP, the UN Information Office in Uzbekistan and UNV awarded a special prize "For the best media coverage of issues related to empowering women and increasing their role in social development".  The UN Information Office handed over the prize to the Editor-in-chief of Radio "Grand" Nodira Maksudov, whose works, the Office said, regularly features the work of UN agencies in Uzbekistan and in particular projects, related to the role of women in contemporary society. Also Nodira Maksudova prepared a series of reports on the women representative of various professions, who are making a difference in their local communities.

 - I watch and observe with a big interest the work carried out by the UN in Uzbekistan, I attach a huge importance to the work of this global body since it plays a significant role in facilitating development, sustainability and gender equality. The choice of UN Information Office to award me the Special Prize means a lot to me and I am grateful for the attention and trust – things essential for any professional to boost professional confidence

Also awarded were special prizes by UNESCO and the World Bank. The UNESCO Representative, Jorge Espinal awarded Editor of the Independent newspaper "Hurriyat" Uktam Mirzayorov for the best journalistic material on the theme "Access to information and management." The head of the World Bank in Uzbekistan Takuya Kamata handed the correspondent of the newspaper "Healthy Generation" Mairam Akhmedova a special prize "For the best coverage of energy efficiency."