The 2012 ASEAN Civil Society Conference

World Business and Development Awards open call for business contributions to sustainable development

The World Business and Development Awards on February 2 launched a call for nominations for successful business initiatives that are in line with the Rio+20 UN Conference on Sustainable Development. All organisations, regardless of size or location, engaged in innovative business models that are delivering both commercial success and helping improve social, economic and environmental conditions are eligible to apply online by 25th March 2012 by downloading the form atwww.worldbusinessawards.net/nominate.

The award ceremony will be held on 19th June, when governments convene in Brazil at the Rio+20 Conference, closing the Business Action for Sustainable Development Business Day.

Celebrating a decade of biennial award giving, the World Business and Development Awards are organized by the International Business Leaders Forum (IBLF), the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in partnership this year with the Netherlands Ministry for Foreign Affairs, the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency and the UN Global Compact. The Awards demonstrate how companies can, through their core business activities, help achieve the Millennium Development Goals — eight internationally agreed targets to reduce poverty and environmental degradation and improve education, health conditions and gender equality by 2015.

"When businesses apply the full force of their core business activities to development challenges and measure their success both by profit and social outcomes, there is no limit to what can be achieved,” said Clare Melford, CEO of IBLF, “We hope that the WBDA will again stimulate businesses of all sizes and in all regions to bring forward their best examples and so accelerate progress towards achieving the MDGs."

The 2012 Awards will be given explicitly to companies delivering inclusive business models: sustainable, commercially-viable business initiatives that expand access for low-income people to goods and services, or improve their livelihoods by engagement in value chains as direct employees, suppliers or distributors, while also generating sales and profit growth.

In honour of the Rio+20 host country, there will be a special category designated for Brazil-based companies.

By bringing together examples of innovative, effective business practices, the World Business and Development Awards will also provide leading businesses and entrepreneurs with a valuable platform for networking and sharing experiences and promote best practices after Rio+20. This will encourage other businesses and governments to replicate and scale initiatives. 

An international judging panel made up of representatives of the organising partners as well as non-governmental organisations, universities, business entities, and international institutions will determine this year’s winners. A workshop on inclusive business will take place prior to the Awards ceremony, held in association with the Business Call to Action and the World Business Council for Sustainable Development.

In 2010, the Awards received an unprecedented 172 nominations, representing a variety of business and commercial endeavours undertaken by business associations, non-governmental organisations and individual companies from more than 42 countries. Diverse in nature, the 10 winning initiatives ranged from low-income housing in Mexico and assisting farmers in Sierra Leone, to offering affordable maternal health services in India.

“Past award winners have shown how companies can help boost sustainable growth and development,” said UNDP Administrator Helen Clark, “They can be a tremendous source of innovative and sustainable solutions which help transform people’s lives for the better."

"As progress towards the Millennium Development Goals comes under threat in the current economic climate, the Awards will highlight the critical role of the private sector in stimulating sustainable economic growth and development,” said ICC Secretary General Jean-Guy Carrier.

Contact Information

UNDP: Carolina Azevedo, carolina.azevedo@undp.org; +1 212 906 6127

ICC: Dawn Chardonnal, dawn.chardonnal@iccwbo.org; +33 1 49 53 29 07

IBLF: Jessica Scholl, Jessica.scholl@iblf.org; +44 20 7467 363

WASH Media Awards – 2011-2012

The Water Supply and Sanitation Collaborative Council (WSSCC) and the Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI) welcome entries for the fourth edition of the WASH Media Awards. This competition is open to journalists who publish or broadcast original investigative stories and reports on water supply, sanitation or hygiene (WASH) related issues and their impact on individual and country development.

The WASH Media Awards recognize and support the crucial role of media in raising awareness of the importance of water, sanitation, and hygiene services. It aims to promote coverage of WASH issues in the local, national and international media to have a positive influence on decision-makers, the private sector, the civil society as well as individuals and households.

Timeline
To be eligible, entries must be published or broadcast between 1 April 2011 and 1 April 2012.

Formats
Journalists may submit one piece of work in the following formats:

• Print & online (traditional print media such as newspapers, magazines and journals; articles that appeared in electronic versions of print media sources – online editions of newspapers, magazines or journals – or in recognized reputable media sources)
• TV (including documentaries)
• Radio
• Cartoons & photos (that appeared in traditional print media such as newspapers, magazines or journals; articles that appeared in electronic versions of print media sources – online editions of newspapers, magazines or journals – or in recognized reputable media sources)

Languages
Entries will be accepted in English, French and Hindi. Works not originally produced in one of these languages must be translated into one of them.

Awards
Six prizes will be awarded:

1. One for the best entry in print & online format
2. One for the best entry in TV format
3. One for the best entry in  radio format
4. One for the best entry in cartoons & photos format
5. One for the best entry for the theme ‘economics of sanitation’ focusing on investing in sanitation, the cost of inadequate sanitation (financial, social, environmental etc.), sanitation marketing, sanitation entrepreneurship and any other related issues
6. One for the best entry from a journalist based in a high-income country or a field reporter working for an international media outlet

Prizes 1 to 5 will be awarded to journalists from developing and middle income countries. For prize number 6, journalists from high-income countries or working for an international media outlet are invited to send entries in the same formats and languages as indicated above.The six winners will receive a cash prize and participate in the World Water Week in Stockholm in August 2012 as special guests of WSSCC and SIWI. All the entries will be evaluated by an international jury of distinguished media professionals. Submissions
All entries must be received no later than 1st April 2012 together with a duly filled in entry form  either by regular post or email:

Water Supply & Sanitation Collaborative Council (WSSCC), WASH MEDIA AWARDS, 15, chemin Louis-Dunant, 1202 Geneva, Switzerland

Tel: +41 22 560 8181
Fax: +41 22 560 8184

Email: wsscc@wsscc.org (mention in e-mail title: WASH MEDIA AWARD Entry)
The WSSCC FTP details can be provided upon request.

Queries
Queries can be directed to:

Ms. Tatiana Fedotova, WSSCC Communications Officer, tatiana.fedotova@wsscc.org
Mr. Rami Abdel Rahman, SIWI Communications Officer, rami.abdelrahman@siwi.org

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