AKIPRESS.COM - Following a golden rule of “Do good, be seen as doing good, and be known for doing good”, CLIMADAPT, the green financing facility for Tajikistan, has awarded its first prizes for environmental journalism in the country on February 16, the EBRD reported.

In a ceremony in Dushanbe, prizes were awarded in the following categories:

Best newspaper article: Awarded to Saifiddin Sunnati, for an article published in Sadoi Mardum, a popular national paper in Tajikistan
Best online article: Nomvar Kurbonov, for a piece published in Ravshanfikr, a famous local website among young scientists and those interested in science
Best TV coverage: Dilbar Hojaeva, for “We are from Sogdiana”, shown on TV Sughd, a leading broadcaster in the Sughd province TV channel.

Four other participants received certificates of excellence for their contribution to the public debate about climate change.

The awards, which were presented for the first time, were organised under the auspices of CLIMADAPT, a facility helping businesses in Tajikistan to adapt to the consequences of climate change.

Launched in 2016 by the EBRD, together with the Pilot Program for Climate Resilience of the Climate Investment Funds (CIF), the US$ 10 million programme facilitates access to climate resilience technologies, in particular, improving the use of water, energy and land resources. Technical assistance under the programme is financed by donor funds from the government of the United Kingdom and from the multi-donor EBRD Early Transition Countries Fund.

For the CLIMADAPT prize, over 60 entries were received from across the country. Stories described the challenges that Tajikistan faces in mitigating – and becoming resilient to – the effects of climate change, through the use of water and energy-efficient technologies supported by CLIMADAPT.

The Early Transition Countries Fund is a multi-donor vehicle whose contributors include: Canada, Finland, Germany, Ireland, Japan, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taipei China and the United Kingdom.