The 3rd MIPTV SDG Award was presented to the Association of Commercial Television and VOD Services in Europe (ACT) at a ceremony at the Palais des Festivals in Cannes.
The awards recognize media companies for their actions and contributions to realizing the Global Goals. They are the fruit of collaboration between RX France, a member of the SDG Media Compact, and the UN.
“I congratulate ACT for their leadership role in galvanizing European media to develop a common stance on tackling disinformation,” said Melissa Fleming, Under-Secretary-General for Global Communications, speaking remotely.
“Misinformation puts lives at risk, divides society, and pollutes the media landscape. It is also running rampant around the war in Ukraine. The need for trusted, accurate sources of information has never been more critical and media plays a central role,” she said.
ACT Director General Grégoire Polad said the organisation’s 28 members, some of the leading broadcasters in Europe, invest in making sure their audiences have a trusted, fact-checked source of information.
“This award is timely, given what we are seeing in the world today,” said Mr. Polad. “I’d like to dedicate the award to the Ukrainian broadcasters that are working so hard to ensure we have accurate news about that conflict.”
“In these times of uncertainty, from COVID to the current crisis in Ukraine, commercial television continues to play an essential role in bringing society together as a trusted and responsible media,” said ACT’s President.
The inaugural SDG Innovation Award was accepted by Junk Kouture, a company that encourages young people to create high-fashion clothing from recycled objects and materials.
The award recognises the impact of Junk Kouture’s programme, which engages the world’s youth across several SDGs.
CEO Troy Armour said he wants to build the organisation into “a kind of Olympics for creative kids”.
“Junk Kouture is all about unlocking creativity — giving kids resilience and transforming them into changemakers,” he said.
The next MIPTV SDG Awards, in April 2023, will recognize progress made by the television industry towards the Sustainable Development Goals.
Previous recipients have included Sky and A+E Networks.
