Press release No.: IFAD/58/08

Rome, 15 December 2008 – The 2008 Journalistic Award “Economic development, fight against poverty and social exclusion in indigenous and poor rural communities of Latin America and the Caribbean” was awarded to Cristiano Navarro (Brazil) for the article “Crushed in the wheels of the sugarcane industry”.

The second prize was awarded to Elisabeth Pérez P. (Colombia). Cristiano Navarro and Elisabeth Pérez P. will receive cash prizes of US$1,500 and US$1,000 respectively.

This is the third journalism award for excellence organized by IPS with the support of IFAD, following the 2005 microfinance and 2006 desertification awards.

IFAD´s extensive support to IPS aims at training journalists from developing countries to report on the challenges facing poor rural people in the developing world.

The international jury was made up of Joaquin Costanzo, Regional Director of IPS America Latina, Ernesto Lamas, Director of AMARC in Latin America (World Association of Community Radio Broadcasters) and Antonella Cordone, Coordinator for Indigenous and Tribal Issues, IFAD.

The jury selected the two best entries among a total of 96 articles from 12 countries (Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Cuba, Chile, Ecuador, Honduras, México, Peru, Uruguay, Venezuela).

Through the story of José dos Santos, a Guarani-Kaiowá 15 year-old boy, “Crushed in the wheels of the sugarcane industry” denounces the illegal exploitation of indigenous minors who, against their parents’ will and authority, are employed in sugarcane plantations in the state of Mato Grosso do Sul.

The jury commended Cristiano Navarro for taking the reader into the heart of the challenges indigenous peoples face, but also into the contradictions that affect their communities.

“The article shows the challenges most indigenous peoples, particularly the Guarani-Kaiowá face, being slaves on their own lands, suffering child labour abuses, discrimination and inequality in resource management and distribution, and loss of identity. The message is powerful in conveying their plight to the reader,” said Antonella Cordone.

Elisabeth Pérez P., in her “Social Movements: from Extinction to Provisional Surrender. The Panacea of Persistence” tells us the history of the ancient fight of indigenous peoples to recover their ancestral land.

The jury appreciated the article for being a valuable and credible testimony.

“The articles we received, in most cases, are from journalists who work in isolated areas, in small media, or in NGO media in rural and indigenous regions, and who often combine social activism with journalism,” said Joaquin Costanzo. ”By recognizing these two articles we encourage journalists to adhere to professional rigour while reporting on the plight of indigenous peoples.”

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Note to Editors

• IPS, the world's leading provider of information on global development issues, is backed by a network of journalists in more than 100 countries. IPS focuses its news coverage on the events and global processes affecting the economic, social and political development of peoples and nations.
• IFAD, a UN agency dedicated to combating rural poverty in the most disadvantaged regions of the world, has been widely involved in the development of indigenous peoples.
• IFAD works closely with a broad network of representatives of indigenous peoples and the organizations that support them. It has established a close partnership with the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (UNPFII) and currently chairs the Inter-Agency Support Group (IASG), set up to support that Forum across the UN System.
• In 2006, in recognition of IFAD´s experience in indigenous peoples’ issues, a special small grants facility – previously hosted by the World Bank – was transferred to IFAD. The Indigenous Peoples Assistance Facility (IPAF) is an innovative funding instrument that allows indigenous communities to find their own solutions to the challenges they face.

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IFAD was created 30 years ago to tackle rural poverty, a key consequence of the droughts and famines of the early 1970s. Since 1978, IFAD has invested more than US$10 billion in low-interest loans and grants that have helped over 400 million very poor rural women and men increase their incomes and provide for their families. IFAD is an international financial institution and a specialized United Nations agency. It is a global partnership of OECD, OPEC and other developing countries. Today, IFAD supports more than 200 programmes and projects in 85 developing countries and one territory.