Linx Productions: Video Archive

UNIDO Vienna General Conference

Linx Productions — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 12:59:30

Yumkella gets second term as UNIDO Director-General, outlines priorities for next four years VIENNA, 7 December 2009 � Kandeh K. Yumkella of Sierra Leone was today re-appointed for a second term as the Director-General of the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) during the Organization�s General Conference, Thirteenth Session. The event in Vienna, held from 7 to 11 December, is being attended by Heads of State and Government, including the President of Iceland, the Prime Ministers of Kenya, Lesotho and Tanzania, and other high-ranking officials from around the world. Senior representatives of international organizations are also taking part.

This year�s General Conference has a thematic focus on �green industries� and the opportunities they offer for developing countries in the current economic circumstance. This will serve to highlight the role of industry in finding solutions to emerging and global challenges faced by these countries in achieving their developmental objectives within a framework of environmental sustainability.

Speaking about the future of UNIDO, Yumkella said he would continue to make sure the Organization was �a trusted, efficient and effective partner for development�. �We are now recognized as an agency with a mandate focused on achieving international development goals, and dedicated to building partnerships within the UN system and beyond,� he said. �All developed nations have harnessed industry as the main driver of their prosperity, and it is still the best hope for ending poverty�s reign over the so-called �Bottom Billion� of humankind.�

According to the Director-General, UNIDO�s three thematic priorities - Poverty Reduction through Productive Activities, Trade Capacity Building and Energy and Environment - will remain at the centre of operations. Capacity building, technology transfer, policy and institutional support, gender, and sustainability will underlie these priorities. �By mainstreaming these essential elements across all of our activities, UNIDO can ensure that the aim of growth and competitiveness is reached,� he said.

Yumkella announced the creation of two major cross-organizational initiatives, on Industrial Upgrading and Enterprise competitiveness, and on Greening Industry.

Addressing recent global development trends, Yumkella said that a positive trend was emerging in favour of investments into green industry. Some reports suggest that about 15 per cent of global stimulus packages in 2009 are �green� and include investments in technologies, infrastructure and strategies to combat climate change. The cost of producing renewable energy is dropping fast. A rapid increase in production of solar panels and wind turbines has led to a 50 per cent and 20 per cent drop in unit prices respectively in 2009 alone.

He said that it was not possible to think of a country�s economic growth as a purely internal process, adding: �Manufacturing has become globally integrated, and is shifting in the direction of developing countries at an increasing pace. But not all developing countries and regions are growing together. Commodities now account for less than 8 per cent of global trade � the rest is in higher value products. A number of developing countries � many in Asia � have long realized this need to trade up, and are managing the transition well through sound industrial policy.�

The Director-General also said that adding value must be �one goal for growth in the coming century. So too must economic diversification, especially for those countries with an abundance of tradable natural resources. Diversification provides security against volatility, and extends the benefits of growth to the many instead of the few. Malaysia is an example of a country that used the boon of natural resources � in its case oil and gas revenues � first to fuel an agribusiness-led industrialization model, and later to build a fully diversified economy.�

Yumkella indicated that climate change was a major challenge conditioning developing prospects and the quality of life. �Climate change can be effectively addressed through a new, sustainable trajectory of growth in which industry adopts a low-carbon and resource-efficient means of production. Rather than limiting growth, a Green Industrial Revolution could and should form the core of our response to climate change, and may be our best hope of sustainable recovery from the economic crisis. The potential is there for new, clean, methods of production; industries focusing on mitigation and adaptation services; and greater use of renewable energy,� he said.

In the last decade, UNIDO has more than doubled its technical cooperation services despite the fact its regular budget has not grown. �In our Medium-term Programme Framework 2010-2013, we established an overarching development objective � �industrial development for poverty reduction, inclusive globalization and environmental sustainability� � that better defines the role we play in contributing to international development goals such as the Millennium Development Goals,� added Yumkella.

In the past four years, UNIDO has also strengthened its normative function, helping to find common global standards that nations can agree to, for example on industrial energy efficiency, and corporate social responsibility.

Yumkella heads the new high-level Advisory Group that advises the United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on energy and climate change challenges. He also chairs the inter-agency coordination mechanism known as UN-Energy.

The General Conference, UNIDO�s highest policymaking organ, brings together representatives of the Organization�s 173 Member States. It will also approve the programme and budgets and establish the scale assessments for regular budget expenditures for the forthcoming biennium. For further information, please contact UNIDO Spokesperson George Assaf email Telephone: (+43-1) 26026-3849

For more information on the General Conference, the Forum and roundtable discussions, please click here For more information on documents relating to the General Conference, please click here.

Face up to Forced Labour (60 Second)

Linx Productions — Thu, 14 May 2009 23:58:11

Linx Productions has produced this Public Service Announcement on behalf of www.ilo.org - a UN-led agency that brings together governments, employers and workers of its member states in common action to promote decent work throughout the world

The PSA is copyright-free, and available for use by television broadcasters and video webcasters.

For more information please see the following press release:

http://www.ilo.org/global/About_the_ILO/Media_and_public_information/Press_releases/lang--en/WCMS_106219/index.htm

Face up to Forced Labour (30 Second)

Linx Productions — Thu, 14 May 2009 23:58:56

Linx Productions has produced this Public Service Announcement on behalf of www.ilo.org - a UN-led agency that brings together governments, employers and workers of its member states in common action to promote decent work throughout the world
The PSA is copyright-free, and available for use by television broadcasters and video webcasters.
For more information please see the following press release:
<a href="http://www.ilo.org/global/About_the_ILO/Media_and_public_information/Press_releases/lang--en/WCMS_106219/index.htm"> http://www.ilo.org/global/About_the_ILO/Media_and_public_information/Press_releases/lang--en/WCMS_106219/index.htm </a>

UN.GIFT Vienna Forum Against Human Trafficking - February 2008

Linx Productions — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 09:52:44

In February 2008, more than 1500 human trafficking experts, campaigners, celebrities, politicians, and diplomats gathered in Austria for the Vienna Forum on Human Trafficking – sponsored by UNGIFT – www.ungift.org

UN.GIFT was launched in March 2007 by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) with a grant made on behalf of the United Arab Emirates. It is managed in cooperation with the International Labour Organization (ILO); the International Organization for Migration (IOM); the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF); the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR); and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE).

UNGIFT is a global alliance of United Nations organisations, NGOs, charities, private sector companies, and foundations committed to fighting human trafficking in all its forms, which include – sex slaves, forced labour, child soldiers, human organ trafficking, and many other examples of modern-day slavery.

This video is set to the music of Ukrainian pop star, Ruslana, who performed live in the closing ceremony of the Vienna Forum with her song ‘Not For Sale’.

The video was produced by Linx productions www.linxproductions.com who work closely with UN.GIFT on promoting their mission to the global media.

UNGASS 10 Year Review

Linx Productions — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 12:26:56

On March 11-12, 2009, a High Level Segment of the Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND) will be dedicated to the evaluation of the implementation of political declaration and action plans of the UN General Assembly Special Session (UNGASS) in 1998.

The evaluation started in 2008 and will determine international drug policy for the next decade. What will be the key issues on the table? What kind of improvements in the functioning of the UN drug control system could be expected or aimed at? Is a reform of the UN Drug Conventions needed?

Unaware - a Human Trafficking PSA - 60 seconds version

Linx Productions — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 13:15:17

Linx Productions has produced this Public Service Announcement on behalf of www.ungift.org - a UN-led coalition against Human Trafficking

The PSA is copyright-free, and available for use by television broadcasters and video webcasters.

The theme - a man walks through a market place, unaware of the human trafficking crimes that are going on around him. Forced labour, and sexual slavery.

Unaware - a Human Trafficking PSA - 30 seconds version

Linx Productions — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 13:14:53

Linx Productions has produced this Public Service Announcement on behalf of www.ungift.org - a UN-led coalition against Human Trafficking

The PSA is copyright-free, and available for use by television broadcasters and video webcasters.

The theme - a man walks through a market place, unaware of the human trafficking crimes that are going on around him. Forced labour, and sexual slavery.

Emma Thompson PSA - 60 seconds version

Linx Productions — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 13:15:37

Linx Productions has produced this Public Service Announcement on behalf of www.ungift.org - a UN-led coalition against Human Trafficking.

The PSA is copyright-free, and is available for use by television broadcasters and video webcasters.

The Theme: Oscar-winning British actress, Emma Thompson, mouths the words of a diverse range of male and female trafficking victims

Emma Thompson PSA - 30 seconds version

Linx Productions — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 13:15:59

Linx Productions has produced this Public Service Announcement on behalf of www.ungift.org - a UN-led coalition against Human Trafficking.

The PSA is copyright-free, and is available for use by television broadcasters and video webcasters.

The Theme: Oscar-winning British actress, Emma Thompson, mouths the words of a diverse range of male and female trafficking victims.

Unaware - NewsXchange Edit

Linx Productions — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 15:14:40

This extended version of the 'Unaware' Human Trafficking PSA was produced for�viewing�at the NewsXchange global TV News conference in Valencia, Spain, November 2008, as the opening video for a debate on investigative journalism

UN / HUMAN TRAFFICKING REPORT WRAP 02/09

Linx Productions — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 15:19:24

STORY: UN / HUMAN TRAFFICKING REPORT WRAP
TRT: 3.35
SOURCE: UNTV / UNICEF
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / NATS
FORMAT: PAL 4:3

DATELINE: 12, 10 FEBRUARY 2009, NEW YORK CITY / FILE

SHOTLIST:

RECENT 2009, NEW YORK CITY UNITED STATES

1. Wide shot, exterior United Nations headquarters

12 FEBRUARY 2009, NEW YORK CITY

2. Wide shot, press conference
3. SOUNDBITE (English) Antonio Maria Costa, Executive Director of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC):
"The statistics speak loud and clear. It is not only trafficking from South East Asia into other parts of Asia, or into Western Europe, its not only from Latin America to North America, these are the kind of flows that you probably have in mind. There is a lot of exploitation within countries like the U.S., large countries like some African countries, but also in smaller countries."
4. Cutaway, journalists
5. SOUNDBITE (English) Antonio Maria Costa, Executive Director of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC):
"With economic hardship in the third world but not only, a greater number of people are more likely to be more vulnerable now than they were, especially for labour related forms of exploitation, child labour and so forth."

FILE – UNICEF / 19 OCTOBER 2008, BISHKEK, KYRGYZTAN

6. Med shot, children in centre for homeless (blurred faces)

FILE – UNICEF / MONROVIA, LIBERIA

7. Various shot, women in safe house (Blurred faces)

FILE – UNICEF / DATE UNKNOWN, RIO DE JANEIRO BRAZIL

8. Wide shot, prostitutes in street

10 FEBRUARY 2009, NEW YORK CITY, UNITED STATES

11. SOUNDBITE (English) Antonio Maria Costa, Executive Director of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC):
"The report by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime on human trafficking I would say more than being an explanation a presentation, of the severity of the problem, is an indictment against the international community for not doing enough."

FILE – UNICEF / 20 NOVEMBER 2008, NATAL, BRAZIL

12. Wide shot, girl sitting on the curb of a street approached by man
13. Wide shot, girl standing against a wall

10 FEBRUARY 2009, NEW YORK CITY, UNITED STATES

14. SOUNDBITE (English) Antonio Maria Costa, Executive Director of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC):
"There are probably one person out of one hundred which are actually rescued, how many criminals are indicted and convicted, perhaps four to five percent of the number of criminals in the world, so we are trying to measure the reality but for the time being member states are not being as cooperative as they should be in providing all the information needed."

FILE – UNICEF / 4 NOVEMBER 2008, GUATEMALA CITY, GUATEMALA

15. Wide shot, dimly lit street corner with two girls being approached by men

FILE – UNICEF / 15 NOVEMBER 2008, MOMBASA, LIBERIA

19. Various shots, women (blurred faces) at nightclub

11 FEBRUARY 2009, NEW YORK CITY, UNITED STATES

18. SOUNDBITE (English) Antonio Maria Costa, Executive Director of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC):
"The question of women being trafficked and also women being responsible for trafficking is one of the most dramatic ones. Gender bias against them is the root of the problem of being exploited, women being exploited, but we see more than in any other crime, we see women being the perpetrators."

12 FEBRUARY 2009, NEW YORK CITY

19. Various shots, launch of the UNODC global report on trafficking in persons and presentation of actress Mira Sorvino as Goodwill Ambassador
20. SOUNDBITE (English) Mira Sorvino, actor and United Nations Goodwill Ambassador as part of the United Nations Global Initiative to Fight Human Trafficking:
"Like the rest of us Americans I thought that, certainly in our country, slavery had ended when Lincoln freed the slaves, and the civil war was fought and eventually we had equality in this country but it's not the case. I mean even within America there is a great deal of slavery in various forms, there is sexual slave labor, there is sweatshop labor, there migrant farm worker labor, there is child prostitution, child pornography."
21. Various shots, conference and actress Mira Sorvino

STORYLINE

The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) launched a new report today at the United Nations. A first of its kind, the report reflects the state of the world's response to human trafficking containing information from 155 countries and territories.

At a press conference in New York, UNODC's Executive Director Antonio Maria Costa told journalists that trafficking was happening all over the world and that exploitation was occurring within countries like the U.S. and other large countries in Africa.

Costa also pointed out that due to the present global economic crisis, a greater number of people were more likely to be more vulnerable now, especially for labour related forms of exploitation and child labour.

In an interview on Tuesday with UNTV, Costa said that the UNODC's report on human trafficking was more than an explanation of the severity of the problem, it was an "indictment against the international community for not doing enough."

According to the report, the number of convictions for human trafficking is increasing especially in a "handful of countries." Yet Costa says that they are trying to measure the reality. For the time being he said, "member states are not being as cooperative as they should be in providing all the information needed."

The report also denounces the fact that although the victims of sexual exploitation are predominantly women and girls, in 30 percent of the countries which provided information on the gender of traffickers, women make up the largest proportion of traffickers.

Costa said that being gender bias is the root of the problem of exploition, "we see more than in any other crime, we see women being the perpetrators."

The report's release also coincided with the appointment of actress Mira Sorvino as a U.N. goodwill ambassador to help fight human trafficking.

Sorvino said during an interview with UNTV that like the rest of the American people, she thought that slavery had ended in the United States when President Abraham Lincoln freed the slaves, "but it's not the case. I mean even within America there is a great deal of slavery in various forms."

The protocol, "United Nations Protocols against Trafficking in Persons" entered into force in 2003. It shows that in the past few years, the number of members states seriously implementing the Protocol has doubled. However, there are still many countries -particularly in Africa- that lack the necessary legal instruments or the will to do so.

UN.GIFT Human Trafficking B-Roll Part 1

Linx Productions — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 17:08:36

Video Provided by the International Labour Organisation (ILO)

1. Brussels, Belgium, Feb 2008 - Police Raid Red Light District

Shows: Belgian police patrol red light district; policeman says girls trapped into prostitution are afraid to tell the police because the traffickers may harm their families back home; prostitutes in windows; policeman interviews prostitute; policeman says x-rays of the bone structure of one girl showed she was just 13-years-old; policeman says that the law used to be too loose, but now they would close the area down if they found such a young girl

2. South Italy Coast, 2002 - Coastguard Intercept Illegal Immigrants

Shows: Coastguard helicopter patrol; migrants on speed boat; migrants run ashore; police intercept and interview migrants

3. Tokyo, Japan, 2005 - Red Light District advertises Western girls

Shows: vs red light district; advertisements for Western hostesses; exteriors of hostess clubs

4. Romania, 2005 - Street Children especially vulnerable to human trafficking

Shows: young girls cleaning car windows; vs very young children begging for money from passing vehicles

5. Peru, 2005 - Forced labour is common in illegal lumber camps

Shows: vs trees being felled; workers resting; vs lumber yards; logs transported on river

6.Burkino Faso, 2005 - Bus station used as transit point for child trafficking

Shows: vs bus station; heavily-laden buses; anti-trafficking agency posters; vs buses

UN.GIFT Human Trafficking B-Roll Part 2

Linx Productions — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 17:09:19

Video Provided by the IOM, OSCE, and Microsoft

1. International Organization for Migration (IOM) - Haiti, 2008, Trafficked Children

Shows: street scenes; children in slums; child labourers in rural area

2. Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) - Spain, Recent, Trafficked children freed by police

Shows: Police storm building; arresting traffickers; examin passsports and other documentation; examine seized computer records from traffickers

3. Microsoft, Manila, Philippines, recent - Visayan Foundation teaches vulnerable children about trafficking. Visayan Forum www.visayan.formum is supported by Microsoft

Shows: Manila skyline; Philippines flag; vs slum district; street kids playing; exterior Visayan Forum school; children learning about human trafficking on computers; Visayan Forum logo; girls being taught about the rights of domestic workers;

UNODC World Drug Report 2008 - VNR

Linx Productions — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 10:46:34

Video News Release for UNODC 2008 World Drug Report

Mixed audio on channel 1 and natsot on channel 2

Full information available at www.unodc.org

Embargo until 1300 EST June 26 2008

Story: The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime 2008 World Drug Report says that global drug usage has stabilised. But UNODC warns that drug production is increasing, and is now largely controlled by insurgents in countries like Afghanistan and Colombia.

To view the UNODC World Drug Report Press Release click here.

To view the UNODC World Drug Report Preface click here.

Shows: coffee shops in The Netherlands; drinkers and smokers in London, UK; UNODC HQ in Vienna, Austria; Morocco police destroying marijuana; Colombian soldiers destroy coca crops; Colombian airforce sprays coca crops with herbicide; opium poppy fields in Afghanistan; Afghanistan army destroying poppies; UNODC Executive Director, Antonio Maria Costa, soundbite on increased drug supply; drug traffickers under arrest in Tajikistan; UNODC Mr Costa soundbite saying human rights of traffickers and users need to be respected; vs drug addicts; UNODC Costa says marijuana is now many more times powerful than it used to be.

All video is free of copyright restrictions

Please also see associated copyright-free b-roll

UNODC World Drug Report 2008 - B-Roll

Linx Productions — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 12:12:38

Shows: London, UK drinkers and smokers outside pub; market and docks scenes in Ivory Coast; Netherlands 'coffee shops' with people buying and smoking marijuana; Colombian military eradicating coca crops; Morocco police intercepting and destroying cannabis; Afghanistan army in conflict with Taliban in helmand province; Afghanistan opium poppy eraditication

UNODC World Drug Report 2008 - Costa Soundbites

Linx Productions — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 12:10:04

UNODC Executive Director, Antonio Maria Costa, comments relating to to 2008 World Drug Report

DFID Emergency Aid

Linx Productions — Mon, 11 Feb 2008 18:50:03

The Department for International Development (DFID) leads the UK's relief effort following a humanitarian emergency or natural disaster in a developing country. DFID has three warehouses: in the UK, Dubai and Miami, where we store around 40,000 blankets, 3-4,000 winterised tents, 20,000 collapsible water jerry cans and 40,000 tarpaulins. These are the items that are usually most needed immediately following a disaster.

We also have vehicles, communications and office equipment ready for immediate deployment should they be needed anywhere in the world.

At any time of the day or night the Duty Officer is alerted to emergencies either automatically, or through the DFID office or Embassy in the affected country. Depending upon the location and scale of the emergency, a Response Team may be mobilised and the DFID Operations room opened. In most cases, and always for large scale emergencies such as the Tsunami and the Pakistan earthquake, we send an assessment team to the area to get first-hand information about the emergency e.g. the number of people affected, the scale of the damage, humanitarian relief needs, and ensure we send the right assistance. Where appropriate, as in the Pakistan earthquake, we also aim to have identified Urban Search and Rescue Teams on the way to be able to start working in the disaster region within 18 to 24 hours.

Shows: At Kemble Air Base, Gloucestershire, England - DFID's UK warehouse - stockpiles of emergency supplies and vehicles being checked and made ready for airlift.

For further information about DFID's work, visit the DFID website at www.dfid.gov.uk

For all media enquiries, please call DFID Press Office +44 207 023 0600 (24 hour number).

RAW IN WAR Anna Politkovskaya Awards 2008

Linx Productions — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 14:28:04

Afghanistan Legislative Council member, Malalai Joya, has won the prestigious Anna Politkovskaya award for women who defend human rights.

On the 7th of October 2006, Russian investigative journalist, Anna Politkovskaya, was killed in Moscow. The award sponsored by 'RAW in WAR', in Anna's name is given every year to a woman human rights defender from a conflict zone in the world who, like Anna, stands up for the victims, often at great personal risk.

The 2008 award was presented in London, England on October 6th beofore an audience if international journalists, where Malalai Joya was introduced as, "A courageous woman, and human rights defender from the war in Afghanistan".

An outspoken critic of some fellow members of the Afghanistan parliament, who has been banned twice from the legislature for calling fellow MPs 'warlords' , Malalai Joya lives in fear of her life, for defending human rights in Afghanistan - especially the rights of women.

In her acceptance speech she said, "I will not stop telling the truth in the face of intimidation".

Shows: Malalai Joya acceptance speech at award ceremony in London UK

Venue: The Frontline Club

Date: October 6th 2008

For more information:

http://www.rawinwar.org
http://www.malalaijoya.com/channel4_award.htm

Contact: Mariana Katzarova, RAW in WAR

Email: mkatza@yahoo.com

AKAA 2007 VNR

Linx Productions — Mon, 11 Feb 2008 18:46:55

EMBARGO

Not for publication or broadcast until 5^th September 2007

Story:

NINE PROJECTS RECEIVE 2007 AGA KHAN AWARD FOR ARCHITECTURE

On 4 September 2007, at a ceremony to be held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, His Highness the Aga Khan will announce the nine recipients of the 2007 Aga Khan Award for Architecture.This year marks the 30^th anniversary of the Award, which was founded in 1977, and the completion of the 10^th cycle of the programme.

The Aga Khan Award for Architecture has a triennial prize fund of US$ 500,000, making it the world�s largest architectural award. The rigor of its nomination and selection process has also made it, in the eyes of many observers, the world�s most important architectural prize. Awarded projects have ranged from the Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur to a primary school in Burkina Faso.

During the current cycle of the Award, 343 projects were presented for consideration, and 27 were reviewed on site by international experts. An independent Master Jury selected nine Award recipients that are notable for having attained the highest standards of architectural excellence while reflecting the values of their specific environments.

�The essence of the Aga Khan Award for Architecture is to examine, analyse, understand, and try to influence the dynamic of physical change in Islamic societies,� His Highness the Aga Khan has remarked. �Our attempt and aspiration is to try to have the humility, but also the competence, to understand what is happening and to seek to influence it so that future generations can live in a better environment.�

The nine projects selected by the 2007 Award Master Jury are:

Samir Kassir Square, Beirut, Lebanon

Rehabilitation of the City of Shibam, Yemen

Central Market, Koudougou, Burkina Faso

University of Technology Petronas, Bandar Seri Iskandar, Malaysia

Restoration of the Amiriya Complex, Rada, Yemen

Moulmein Rise Residential Tower, Singapore

Royal Netherlands Embassy, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Rehabilitation of the Walled City, Nicosia, Cyprus

School in Rudrapur, Dinajpur, Bangladesh

With its emblematic high-tech architecture, the University of Technology Petronas provides an inspiring structure for progressive education in this rapidly developing nation.The Award will be presented to the architects, Foster + Partners and GDP Architects, and the Petronas Corporation (the Petronas Towers won an Award in the 2004 cycle).

In 1979, the representatives of the Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot communities held a historic meeting under United Nations auspices to create a master plan for the Rehabilitation of the Walled City of Nicosia. A collaborative and sustained effort, the project has been successful in reversing the city�s physical and economic decline, using architectural restoration and reuse as the catalyst for improvement to the quality of life on both sides of this divided city.The representatives of the Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot communities will share the award with the Nicosia Master Plan team.

The Samir Kassir Square is a restrained and serene urban public space that skilfully handles the conditions and infrastructure of its location in a city that has undergone rapid redevelopment. The Award will go to Vladimir Djurovic, the pre-eminent landscape architect working in Lebanon today.

The Rehabilitation of the City of Shibam is part of a project that focuses on the preservation of this unique place as a living community, with architectural restoration integrated into the creation of new economic and social structures. The Award recipients are the Yemeni government and its cultural agencies, the German Technical Cooperation (GTZ) and the community of Shibam.

Koudougou�s Central Market introduces simple improvements to a traditional material � stabilised earth � to create an important space for civic exchange and economic opportunity, helping enhance and strengthen a mid-sized town in Burkina Faso. The Award will be shared by the Koudougou Municipality, the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), and the principal architect, Laurent S�chaud.

With its reliance on local knowledge and experience, the Restoration of the Amiriya Complex in Yemen saw the revival of lost techniques of building and ornamentation. The project represents a milestone in the protection of cultural heritage in Yemen. The Award will be presented to the project directors, renowned Iraqi archaeologist and restorer Selma Al-Radi and her Yemeni counterpart, Yahya Al-Nasiri.

Within the constraints of a developer-driven brief, the Moulmein Rise Residential Tower uses innovative techniques and detailing that combine new principles for tropical design and improvements for high-rise living. Wong Mun Summ and Richard Hassell, partners at the Singapore firm WOHA Architects will receive the Award.

The guiding principle in the construction of the Royal Netherlands Embassy in Addis Ababa was a respect for place while addressing the functional requirements of a working embassy, resulting in a contemporary structure that fully engages its local environment. The Dutch architects Dick van Gameren and Bjarne Mastenbroek will receive the Award, together with the Ethiopian architects at the firm ABBA Architects.

Hand-built in four months by the local community and volunteer architects from Germany and Austria, the School in Rudrapur, Bangladesh, makes use of easily available local materials to create a new model for school construction that is beautiful, simple and humane. The architects Anna Heringer and Eike Roswag will share an award with the craftsmen and volunteers who assisted in the building, and the Bangladeshi NGO for sustainable rural development, Dipshikha.

The 2007 Master Jury placed an emphasis on the meaningful collaborations and exchange of ideas � between architects, craftsmen, governments, international development agencies, clients and users � that were a defining feature of the winning projects (please see Statement of the Master Jury).

The Aga Khan Award for Architecture

The Aga Khan Award for Architecture was established by the Aga Khan in 1977 to identify and encourage building concepts that successfully address the needs and aspirations of Muslim societies. The Award recognises examples of architectural excellence in all the places where Muslims live, in the fields of contemporary design, social housing, community improvement and development, historic preservation, reuse and area conservation, as well as landscape design and improvement of the environment.

The Award is governed by a Steering Committee chaired by His Highness the Aga Khan. The current members of the Steering Committee are Omar Akbar (Executive Director, Bauhaus Dessau Foundation); Jacques Herzog (Partner, Herzog & de Meuron Architects, Basel); Glenn Lowry (Director, The Museum of Modern Art, New York); Mohsen Mostafavi (Dean of the College of Architecture, Art and Planning, Cornell University, New York); Farshid Moussavi (Partner, Foreign Office Architects, London); Hani Rashid (Partner, Asymptote Architecture, New York); Modjtaba Sadria (Professor, Institute for the Study of Muslim Civilisations-AKU, London); and Billie Tsien (Partner, Tod Williams Billie Tsien Architects, New York). Farrokh Derakhshani is the Director of the Award.

The Awards are selected by an independent Master Jury appointed by the Steering Committee for each three-year Award cycle. The Master Jury members for the 2004-2007 cycle are Homi Bhabha (Professor, Harvard University); Okwui Enwezor (Curator; Dean of Academic Affairs and Senior Vice President, San Francisco Art Institute); Homa Farjadi (Principal, Farjadi Architects, London); Sahel Al-Hiyari (Principal, Sahel Al-Hiyari and Partners, Jordan); Shirazeh Houshiary (Artist); Rashid Khalidi (Professor, Columbia University, New York); Brigitte Shim (Partner, Shim Sutcliffe Architects, Toronto); Han T�mertekin (Principal, Mimarlar Tasarim Danismanlik Ltd, Istanbul); and Kenneth Yeang (Principal, Llewelyn Davies Yeang, UK and Hamzah & Yeang, Malaysia).

Ceremonies to announce the winning projects and mark the close of each triennial cycle have been held in settings selected for their architectural and cultural importance to the Muslim world: Shalimar Gardens in Lahore (1980), Topkapi Palace in Istanbul (1983), Badi� Palace in Marrakech (1986), the Citadel of Saladin in Cairo (1989), Registan Square in Samarkand (1992), Karaton Surakarta in Solo (1995), the Alhambra in Granada (1998), the Citadel of Aleppo (2001) and the gardens of Emperor Humayun�s Tomb in Delhi (2004).

A monograph on the 2007 Award will be published by I.B. Tauris & Co in September 2007. The book, Intervention Architecture: Building for Change includes concise descriptions and illustrations of the nine winning projects, an introductory essay by Homi K. Bhabha, as well as contributions from Omar Akbar, Homa Farjadi, Sahel Al-Hiyari, Shirazeh Houshiary, Mohsen Mostafavi, Farshid Moussavi, Modjtaba Sadria, Brigitte Shim, Billie Tsien and Kenneth Yeang.

About His Highness the Aga Khan and the Aga Khan Trust for Culture

His Highness the Aga Khan, Imam (Spiritual Leader) of the Shia Imami Ismaili Muslims, marked the beginning of his Golden Jubilee year on 11th July 2007. Fifty years ago, at the age of 20, the Aga Khan succeeded his grandfather, Sir Sultan Mahomed Shah Aga Khan, as the 49th hereditary Imam of the Shia Imami Ismaili Muslims. The Aga Khan provides spiritual guidance to a community of 15 million living in some 25 countries, mainly in West and Central Asia, Africa and the Middle East, as well as in North America and Western Europe. As Spiritual Leader of the Ismaili Muslims, the Aga Khan has emphasised the view of Islam as a thinking, spiritual faith, one that teaches compassion and tolerance and that upholds the dignity of man, Allah�s noblest creation. The Aga Khan is a direct descendant of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) through his cousin and son-in-law, Ali, the first Imam, and his wife Fatima, the Prophet�s daughter.

The Aga Khan Award for Architecture is part of the Aga Khan Trust for Culture (AKTC), which has a wide range of activities aimed at the preservation and promotion of the material and spiritual heritage of Muslim societies. As the cultural agency of the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN), the Trust leverages cultural heritage as a means of supporting and catalysing development. Its programmes include the Aga Khan Historic Cities Programme (HCP), which works to revitalise historic cities in the Muslim world, both culturally and socioeconomically. Over the last decade, it has been engaged in the rehabilitation of historic areas in Cairo, Kabul, Herat, Aleppo, Delhi, Zanzibar, Mostar, northern Pakistan, Timbuktu and Mopti. The Aga Khan Music Initiative in Central Asia (AKMICA) supports the efforts of Central Asian musicians and communities to sustain, further develop and transmit musical traditions that are a vital part of their cultural heritage. The Museums Project coordinates the development of a number of museum and exhibition projects, including two ongoing museum projects in Cairo and Toronto. The Trust also supports the Muslim arts and architecture departments of Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), as well as www.ArchNet.org, a major online resource on Islamic architecture.

The Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN) is a group of private development agencies working to empower communities and individuals, often in disadvantaged circumstances, to improve living conditions and opportunities, especially in Central and South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa. AKDN agencies work for the common good of all citizens, regardless of their gender, origin or religion. Its underlying impulse is the ethic of compassion for the vulnerable in society. Its annual budget for social and cultural development activities is US$320 million. The Aga Khan Fund for Economic Development (AKFED), an AKDN development agency that makes long-term investments in fragile economies on a for-profit basis, has annual revenues of over US$ 1.5 billion. Profits are used to fund further development projects.

The Aga Khan Award for Architecture

PO Box 2049

1211 Geneva 2

Switzerland

Facsimile: (41.22) 909.72.92

Telephone: (41.22) 909.72.00

E-mail: akaa@akdn.org

Website: www.akdn.org/architecture

Shotlist and Transcript - click here