Ha Noi, 13 October 2020 – Today, on the occasion of the International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction and the ASEAN Day for Disaster Management, the Central Steering Committee for Natural Disaster Prevention and Control, the Ministry of Information and Communications, the Vietnamese Journalists Association, and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), organized the 2019 National Press Awards for Disaster Prevention and Control (the Press Awards), with the prize sponsorship of Vietnam Electricity Group (EVN) and the Central Retail Group in Viet Nam. The first Press Award Ceremony for Disaster Prevention and Control, with the theme "Reducing Damage Caused by Natural Disasters - Proactively Adapting to Climate Change Begins with the Community," was created to recognize, commend, and reward episodes, organizations, and individuals making practical contributions towards the dissemination of information and communication on disaster risk management.

In the five and a half months following the launch of the awards, from 12 October 2019 to 31 March 2020, the Organizing Committee received 896 submissions in five categories, including 347 printed articles, 302 articles from electronic newspapers, 112 television reportages and documentary programmes, 59 radio submissions, 52 press photos, and 24 irregular submissions. The press awards attracted 602 journalists, reporters, and collaborators from more than 120 news agencies from the national to the local level.

The Organizing Committee awarded trophies, certificates, and certificates of merit from the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development’s Standing Deputy Head of the Central Steering Committee for Natural Disaster Prevention and Control, together with prizes for the authors of two first prizes, seven second prizes, ten third prizes, and one for the press agency with the most entries in the national press awards in this first competition for disaster risk management.

In addition, the Organizing Committee awarded their own trophies and certificates with prizes to the authors of thirteen consolation prizes, as well as offering prizes for "Most Powerful Story" and "Most Impressive Image."

According to Mr. Nguyen Hoang Hiep, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development and Head of the Organizing Committee for the Press Awards, "Up to now, we can confirm that the Press Awards have achieved the set target. The organizers were very surprised when the number of submissions reached nearly 1,000 from many different types of media. This shows that journalists, reporters, and press agencies are very interested in and prioritize many articles on disaster risk management, which is an area that directly affects people's lives, social security, and the development of the country. The work of the press not only deeply and closely reflects the situation of natural disasters in the country, but also offers many multi-dimensional perspectives on solutions and plans to support the prevention and reduction of risk in each specific situation, contributing to extensive communication and raising the sense of responsibility of the whole community in disaster risk management.”

“Media play a vital role in disaster prevention. Before, during, and after a disaster event, they provide critical information that enables leaders to make decisions and people to respond promptly. We are pleased with the high-quality submissions received for the 1st Press Award for Disaster Prevention and Control, with the theme "Reducing Damage Caused by Natural Disasters - Proactively Adapting to Climate Change Begins with the Community,” co-organized by UNDP and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and the Ministry of Information and Communication. Working together, our joint efforts will contribute to a safer, more sustainable, and more prosperous Viet Nam where No One is Left Behind,” said Ms. Caitlin Wiesen, UNDP Resident Representative in Viet Nam.

Mr. Tran Ba ​​Dung of the Vietnamese Journalists Association, Head of the Preliminary Judge Board, and member of the Final Judge Board, said, “The first National Press Awards for Disaster Prevention in 2019 were a great success. The judges are highly experienced, serious, and professional, and the submissions were all of comparable high quality. The content was very rich and took many different approaches, from detecting and reflecting on the current state of the heavy impacts of natural disasters with many details, realistic images, and strong impacts, to analyzing the causes and providing warning information to raise community awareness. Many long submissions in e-newspaper form were invested, enthusiastic, responsible, and showed the dedication of journalists for disaster prevention, helping the reports to become more interesting, lively, and effective at communicating their message.

At the end of the award ceremony, the Central Steering Committee for Disaster Prevention and UNDP announced the second National Press Awards for Disaster Prevention in 2020, which will have the theme "For a Society Safe from Natural Disasters - Proactively Adapting to Climate Change." Details of the Press Awards will be posted on the website of the Steering Committee (http://phongchongthientai.mard.gov.vn/), the Facebook page "Thông tin phòng chống thiên tai,” the UNDP Viet Nam website (www.vn.undp.org), the UNDP Viet Nam fanpage, and the Facebook page “Coastal resilience to climate change.”

(List of winning submissions is attached).

Contact information:

Ms. Phan Hương Giang
Media and Communication Analyst, Climate Change and Environment,
United Nations Development Programme
Mobile: 0948466688
Email: phan.huong.giang@undp.org

Ms. Pham Ngoc Ha
Community Disaster Management Department – Viet Nam Disaster Management Authority - Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development
Mobile: 0904027275
Email: ha22111977@gmail.com