Buenos Aires – Last Friday (16/03), the South America Regional Office for IOM, the UN Migration Agency, celebrated the work of journalists who have highlighted the social, economic and cultural contributions of migrants to their countries of origin and destination, at the South American Journalism Prize in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

The awards themed Migration with a Human Rights-based Approach and Gender Perspective also recognized journalistic works which have contributed to raising awareness about migrants’ rights, including access to healthcare, employment and education and also helped to counter xenophobia, racism and discrimination against migrants and their families.

Ten works were selected among 167 applications from all over South America. The finalists were evaluated by five migration, journalism, human rights and gender experts: Claudia Palacios, Colombian journalist and director of the Casa Editorial El Tiempo television network; Lelio Mármora, director of the Migration and Asylum Policy Institute at the Tres de Febrero University; and Javier Palummo, Director of Research and Information Management of the MERCOSUR Institute of Public Policies in Human Rights. The jury also included Matteo Mandrile, IOM Regional Development Officer for South America and Mariana Beherán, IOM Argentina Research Coordinator.

Also in attendance were René Mauricio Valdés, UN Resident Coordinator in Argentina, representatives of the Government of Argentina and MERCOSUR, as well as Elba Rodriguez, winner of MasterChef Argentina in 2014, who shared her experiences as the daughter of Bolivian migrants in Argentina.

At the award ceremony, Diego Beltrand, IOM Regional Director for South America, highlighted the important role of the media as key partners in shaping the public opinion on migration. He also emphasized the need to talk about migrants’ rights, and called for the use of accurate migration terminology and an inclusive language to combat racism, xenophobia and discrimination.

One of the jurors, Palacios said that journalists have a great responsibility when covering migration issues. “Migration means growing and strengthening human capital, which brings benefits to the places of origin and destination, and the role of journalists in promoting this view is essential,” she stressed.

Following the announcement, the winners were invited to a training session in Buenos Aires on how to cover migration topics with a human rights-based and gender perspective.

The Prize contributes to the "I am a Migrant" and "TOGETHER" global campaigns, which seek to change the negative perceptions of migrants and help tackle xenophobia, racism and discrimination. It is part of a project launched in October 2017, funded by the IOM Development Fund (IDF), IOM Colombia and IOM Peru.

Watch the video of the Awards Ceremony: https://youtu.be/s92F5_L-fa0

See the full list of winners here: http://robuenosaires.iom.int/news/ganadores-del-premio-suramericano-de-periodismo-migraci-n-con-enfoque-de-derechos-humanos

For more information, please contact Juliana Quintero, IOM Regional Office in Buenos Aires, Tel: +(54) 11 5219 2033, Email: juquintero@iom.int