United Nations comic book wins award

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A comic book produced by the United Nations to raise awareness and to educate children worldwide on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) won the Special Jury Prize at this year’s Peace and Sports Awards held recently in Monaco.

The 32-page educational comic book features 10 football UN Goodwill Ambassadors – Emmanuel Adebayor, Roberto Baggio, Michael Ballack, Iker Casillas, Didier Drogba, Luis Figo, Raúl, Ronaldo, Patrick Vieira, and Zinédine Zidane – who were shipwrecked on an island on their way to playing an “all-star” charity football game in support of the UN.

While on the island, the team had to tackle the eight MDGs along their journey toward being rescued. The MDGs are targets aimed at slashing global poverty by 2015 by combating hunger, disease, illiteracy, environment degradation and discrimination against women.

The book, officially launched last January in Geneva, is primarily aimed at children between the ages of eight and 14 and is available in English, French, Spanish, Chinese, German and Korean. It provides an interactive way to help young people understand, familiarize and reflect about the MDGs as well as invite them to take action through activities provided in the educational guide. The project was the result of a joint effort led by the UN Office on Sport for Development and Peace, in collaboration with the UN Development Program, Food and Agriculture Organization, Joint UN Program on HIV/AIDS, UN Department of Public Information, and Stop TB Partnership.

The prize was presented by Prince Albert II of Monaco in front of an audience of more than 500 prominent figures from politics, sport, the private sector and civil society who are participating in the 5th Peace and Sport International Forum. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said in a statement that the award is a welcome recognition of how the UN family is working creatively with a wide variety of partners to deliver its educational messages and fulfill its mission towards achieving the MDGs. “By using the power of sport and the universal reach of football Goodwill Ambassadors, the UN organizations involved in ‘Score the Goals’ have succeeded in projecting the UN voice beyond its usual audiences, reaching the crucial constituency of children and youth,” he said.



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