Accra, Aug. 11, GNA-The United Nations Systems on Friday awarded seven journalists for promoting the Millennium Development Goals (MDG) in Ghana for the year 2006.

The award winners who were presented with assorted books, journals and undisclosed cash include Mr. Lovelace Opoku Agyeman who wrote an article on achieving the Millennium Development Goals and Mrs. Clare Banoeng-Yakubu who also did a story on contraceptive use in Ghana. Others were Mr. Kingsley Obeng-Kyere, host of a radio programme which discussed the convention on the elimination of all forms of discrimination against women.

The rest from the print media, who were given consolation prices were Phyllis D. Osabutey, Mr. Yao Aduana, Leonard Ackon and Mr. B. A. Adom.

The award, second in a series was instituted by the United Nations systems to encourage local journalists to be interested in the Millennium Developmental Goals, write and discuss more about them to give adequate publicity and whip up public interest in the goals. Mr. Daouda Toure, UN Resident Coordinator and UNDP Representative in an address, said that the purpose of organizing such awards were geared towards making the MDGs a focus in the national development agenda, first getting people to align their priorities and also helping to mainstream the MDGs into the national development framework. "The UN system recognizes that it is only when the capacity of media personnel has been built in the MDGS that they would be in a better position to raise public awareness and understanding and build local support for timely attainment of the MDGs," he said. He encouraged journalist to put in more efforts in monitoring trends in the achievement to the target of the goals, and bring out suggestions to assist stakeholders help communities in their efforts to patronize their needs.

Mr. Toure said UN's effort to achieve MDGs had also looked at the provision of safe drinking water, affordable housing, decent and productive work for the youth and new technologies especially information and communication technology.

He noted that statistics from the Ghana Living Standards Survey had shown that poverty levels had declined from 52 percent in 1992 to 28.5 percent in 2006.

If the trend continues, Ghana will be the first country in sub-Saharan Africa to achieve the first MDG of reducing poverty by half before 2015, he said.

Mr. Kojo Baah-Wiredu, Minister of Finance and Economic Planning said that the awards ceremony on the MDG had come at an opportune time when government had strengthened its efforts in implementing actions to speed up the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals. "The awards ceremony is therefore timely, since it will energize efforts by the media as they assist the development process of this country...by documenting and sensitizing our citizens of their roles and responsibilities," he added.