UN recognises condom campaign with Grand Award

New York -An Indian media relations campaign aimed at promoting the consistent use of condoms as part of safe sex practices and family planning has been chosen for the 2007 United Nations Grand Award for outstanding achievement in public relations.

The campaign, “Condom Bindaas Bol”, was designed to address a decline in condom use and sales across eight northern Indian states that account for 45 per cent of the condom market in India. These states - Delhi, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Uttaranchal, Madhya Pradesh, Chattisgarh, Bihar and Jharkhand - make up 40 per cent of India's population of more than 1000 million.

Through the slogan, “Condom Bindaas Bol” (Say Condom Freely), the campaign aimed to encourage people to talk about condoms using two messages. The first is that “condom” is not a delicate word and its usage should be discussed freely. The second is that condom usage is for everyone, not just individuals in high-risk groups.

The social campaign created by Weber Shandwick, New Delhi, is a joint effort of PSP-One, a United States Agency for International Development (USAID) project; ICICI Bank; and the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India.

The United Nations Grand Award will be presented as part of the 2007 IPRA Golden World Awards at a ceremony on Tuesday, 6 November, in London.

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Press release from United Nations