On Tuesday, December 16th, 2014, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon will be the guest of honor at the U.N. Correspondents Association and present the awards for journalists who have provided the best coverage of U.N. activities worldwide during the year, and he awarded the UNCA top prizes for the Global Citizen of the Year, Global Advocate of the Year, and the U.N. Correspondents Association Special Award for Global Education.
The U.N. Correspondents Association honored Andrea Bocelli and his wife Veronica Berti as the UNCA Global Citizens of the Year for the Andrea Bocelli Foundation’s devotion to empower people and communities in need. The Association honored Sting and Trudie Styler as the UNCA Global Advocates of the Year for their work as co-founders of the Rainforest Foundation Fund, which supports the rights of indigenous peoples and preserves the environment.
The U.N. Correspondents Association honored Enver Yücel, Chairman and founder of Bahçeşehir Ugur Education Institutions with the UNCA Special Award for Global Education. The award has been presented by the U.N. Secretary General, for Enver Yücel’s global contributions to education worldwide.
To journalists from around the world, UNCA will award the Elizabeth Neuffer Memorial Prize, the Ricardo Ortega Memorial Prize, the Prince Albert II of Monaco and UNCA Global Prize, and the United Nations Foundation Prize.
The dinner attended by U.N. officials, diplomats, and journalists from around the world.
UNCA, founded in 1948, is a non-profit association that represents over 250 journalists from around the world covering U.N. activities at U.N. headquarters in New York.
Previous winners include President Bill Clinton, Sir Richard Branson, Angelina Jolie, Ted Turner, Columbia Professor Jeffrey Sachs, Nicholas Cage, Mira Sorvino, John Prendergast, Raymond G. Chambers with Professor Awa Marie Coll-Seck, Forest Whitaker and Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. Last year, the Association honored Stevie Wonder for his work as an advocate for Persons with Disabilities and Michael Douglas as a Messenger of Peace for disarmament and recognized Emmanuel Jal, South Sudanese musician and former child soldier, and Darryl “D.M.C.” McDaniels, for their advocacy of peace through music.
The UNCA Awards Committee is a non-profit organization devoted to encouraging and rewarding excellence in journalism.
