HÀ NỘI — The Journalism for Sustainable Development Award (JSD Award), launched on Thursday, aims to support the media in joining sustainable development process.

The event was co-organised by the Institute for Research on Development Communication, Global Affairs Canada and Sustainable Development Office under the Ministry of Planning and Investment.

Journalists can submit their stories to jsd@red.org.vn no later than the end of October.

Stories must be written in Vietnamese and must have been published from the beginning of this year to the end of October.

The organisers divides the award into two categories, gender equality and environment protection. Accordingly,  gender equality stories submitted for award consideration should talk about gender discrimination, domestic violence, reproductive health, poverty reduction for ethnic minorities and women’s participation in different sectors.

Stories submitted for the environment category, meanwhile, should focus on exploitation of natural resources, ocean waste, wild animal protection and community participation in forest protection.

The prizes will be worth VNĐ10-20 million (US$440-880).

The award ceremony will be held in the end of November.

Trần Nhật Minh, director of the Institute for Research on Development Communication, said sustainable development was a vital factor throughout the country’s development process, combining closely, rationally and harmoniously socio-economic development, protection of natural resources and the environment and coping with climate change.

It is every person’s responsibility to participate in sustainable development, with the media playing a particularly important role in sustainable development communication and helping the society realise its role, he said.

“This award is not just about evaluating the content of the stories but also about the promotion of organisations in the process of achieving the country’s sustainable development goals (SDGs),” he added.

Nguyễn Thị Thanh Nga, an official from the Sustainable Development Office, said sustainable development was both a benefit and a measure of quality and survival of the nation.

“Communication on SDGs plays an important role in encouraging people to join the development process. The media, therefore, should actively play their part,” Nga said. — VNS