UN Department of Public Information
Contact: Information Officer Armine Halajyan
Yerevan Office (Armenia)
Tel.: (374 10) 560 212
Fax/Tel.: (374 10) 561 406
Mobile: (374 91) 20 37 25
E-mail: [email protected]
htt p://
Armenian Children among Winners of the UNEP International Children’s
Painting Competition
Yerevan/Wellington, 11 June 2008. – Gloria IP Tung, a fourteen-year old girl
from Hong Kong, is the winner of the United Nations Environment Programme’s
2008 International Children’s Painting Competition. Gloria received her
award on World Environment Day, 5 June 2008, from UNEP Executive Director
Achim Steiner and New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark at a ceremony in
Wellington (New Zealand), along with the two global runners-up and five of
the regional winners.
An unprecedented 15,550 entries from 90 countries around the world were
submitted for the International Children’s Painting Competition on the
Environment. Over 67 children from Armenia participated in this competition.
Armenia’s participation was organized locally by the UN Department of Public
Information Yerevan Office and Armenian UN Association (a partner NGO of UN
Armenia Office), with financial support for postal services from UNICEF
Armenia Office.
Regional Selection was done by the relevant UNEP Regional Offices and its
partners. Regional winners were announced on 22 April 2008. Maria Kassabian
a 10-year-old Armenian girl from Nigeria won the first prize from Africa
region. Among 120 European regional winners were 12-year-olds Shant Hakobyan
and Zhenya Rubenyan from Armenia.
The final results of the regional and global selections are available at:
t=3Dcompetitions&comp=3Dint_comp&int_comp= 3D17th
;com=3Dmodule &module=3Dstatic&id=3D437
Five category winners were announced: one 1st prize, two 2nd prizes, five
3rd prizes, nine 4th prizes and forty 5th prizes. In addition to these –
6
regional winners were announced still in April. The selection of these 63
paintings (Shant Hakobyan’s painting included) are being shown at
Wellington’s (New Zealand) Te Papa museum before touring other venues around
the world.
The International Children’s Painting Competition on the Environment is
organized annually by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the
Japan-based Foundation for Global Peace and Environment (FGPE), Bayer and
Nikon Corporation. It has been held since 1991 and has received over 190,000
entries from children in over 100 countries.
This year’s competition theme was Climate Change: Actions you can take now.
Children aged 6 to 14 were invited to express through painting actions they
can take to reduce the impact of climate change such as using renewable
energy, introducing energy saving light bulbs at home, sharing vehicles and
using public transport, planting trees etc. The competition ran from 24
September to 15 January 2008. The organizers invited children from all over
the world to submit their paintings to the UNEP office in their regions.
The International Children’s Painting Competition on the Environment is part
of UNEP’s TUNZA strategy for children and youth. TUNZA is a word in
Kiswahili that means to "treat with care". The programme aims to provide
young people with information and tools on how to "treat Mother Earth with
care" and how to act for a better world.
* * *