IPDCtalks 2018: Good Laws and Practices for Open Societies

'How are (international) aid and other external resources being used to achieve sustainable development?'  

- based on data published by UNDP's International Aid Transparency Initiative

To celebrate the International Day for Universal Access to Information (IDUAI) 2018, UNDP's IATI and UNESCO launched the IATI Research Challenge for Journalists. Under the chairmanship of Christophe Deloire, Secretary-General of Reporters Without Borders, this competition invites young journalists to research and submit their research article. Participating journalists are encouraged to use the platform D-portal to explore IATI data, investigate in development (finance) issues and develop an interesting story based on the findings. Until December 20, participants can submit an article on the progress of implementation of a Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) or several SDG's in a country of their choice - based on their assessments of IATI data.

Download the submission form!

Submit your story to IATI-challenge@undp.org before December 20, 2018. Winners will be rewarded with a laptop or tablet!

More information on the IATI Research Challenge and details can be found below or at www.IATIstandard.org 
 

Competition guidelines

Eligibility

• You are a young journalist between 15 and 25 years of age, at the time of submission
• You have some form of affiliation with journalism (journalism school; working groups in college etc.)
• You are enrolled in journalism studies at an academic institution or employed as journalist in media houses or others
• Freelance journalists must prove prior engagement as journalists through references such as published articles, blogposts, or others. 

Format and style

• The article must be written in English and submitted as a Word-document
• You are encouraged to submit an article between 700-1000 words. Articles that exceed 1000 words by more than 20 % will be disqualified.
• All data sources of the essays must be referenced, and plagiarism will result in immediate disqualification.
• You are encouraged to use additional data sources and information in addition to IATI data for cross-checking purposes

Rating criteria

• Essays will be reviewed and rated as follows:
  • Quality of narrative nad storyline, public interested of the topic and relevance for progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals (max. 20 points)
  • Use of IATI data or data orginally requested from authorities using national Access to Information-laws as one of the main sources for the argument(s) provided (max. 30 points)
  • Word count of 700 - 1000 words (max. 10 points)
  • Use of English language (max. 10 points)

Winners will receive a laptop or tablet. The winners will be announced after the selection committee has reviewed all essays. A data for the award ceremony will be announced after the deadline.

Reporters Without Borders Chief, Christophe Deloire Challenges Young Journalists

Contact

For questions and matters related to this initiative, please contact:

Ms Lea Zoric, IATI Outreach Specialist, UNDP: lea.zoric@undp.org

Mr Yi-han Wen, Project Coordinator, UNESCO: yh.wen@unesco.org