The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), in partnership with Olympus Corporation and the Agency France Presse (AFP) foundation, launched an Africa-based, eco-themed photo contest recently in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, a press release from the UNDP Banjul office stated.  

The contest, entitled: Picture this: caring for the earth,' aims to profile ordinary people working to reduce the effects of climate change in their countries, cities and communities and is open to anyone residing in Africa.

"Entries either single photos or photo essays must highlight stories that show the people of Africa as stewards of their natural environment. Special attention will be given to photos that take into account the role that women play in protecting their environment. In order to make the contest accessible to all, UNDP along with the AFP foundation and Olympus is mobilising all of its social networks, websites and country offices to spread the word across the continent," the press release revealed.

"The developing world stands to lose the most from the effects of climate change and environmental degradation. Local communities also see what is happening to the natural resources and environment on which they depend for their health, livelihood and survival," said Helen Clark, UNDP administrator, at the contest launch.

"Nobel peace prize winner and Kenyan environmentalist, Wangari Maathai is one of five judges who will choose the winning photos. The other four are all professional photo journalists, including Peter Magubane, one of South Africa's most internationally acclaimed photographers.  Contestants may enter either in an amateur or a professional category.  The deadline for entries is 30 September 2009," the release further stated.

"The AFP foundation is pleased to support the contest, which corresponds to our objectives," said Robert Holloway, director of the AFP foundation.  "We believe that the media should help people make informed decisions about their lives and that this can reduce poverty and promote development.  The photo competition aims to do that by showing how ordinary Africans deal with the effects of climate change and environmental degradation," he added.

According to the release, Olympus will provide digital cameras to the winners.  "The AFP foundation will sponsor one winner from the professional categories to participate in a two-week working fellowship with an AFP bureau in Africa.  The first prize winners in all categories will be flown to an award ceremony and launch of an exhibition of the winning entries in New York in October.  The exhibition of winning photos will then be held in Tokyo and Johannesburg. The contest is inspired by the upcoming 15th climate change conference in Copenhagen, Denmark, which will witness a gathering of 15,000 officials from 200 countries," the press release indicated.

"We hope that through this project, people will be inspired by images showing that the simplest of actions, no matter who you are or where you live can make a real difference in the effort to halt or mitigate the destruction of our natural world," said Tsuyoshi Kikukawa, president of Olympus, in the press release sent to this paper. "Throwing our hands up in defeat in the face of climate change and environmental degradation simply isn't an option," the Olympus boss remarked.

"Protecting the environment and working to mitigate the effects of climate change lies at the heart of UNDP's mandate. This is especially true in Africa where water scarcity, increased desertification, crop failures and health risks associated with temperature changes are already being seen," the release further indicated. "However, the release went on, "while the poorest in developing countries are often the first to feel the effects of environmental degradation and climate change, they should not always be seen as helpless.  They are also the true experts and potentially the most powerful advocates for protecting their environment," the release concluded.