Pro-Imaging

United Nations

t/a United Nations Development Program

About this Organisation

On their website the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) state that they support efforts to advance democratic governance in four main areas:

• Expanding people's opportunities to participate in political decision-making, particularly those of women and the poor

• Making democratic institutions more accountable and responsive to citizens, supporting national parliaments, public administrations and rule of law

• Promoting the principles of democratic governance — in particular, anti-corruption, human rights, women's empowerment and equal opportunity

• Supporting country-led democratic governance assessments that help countries to assess their needs, monitor their progress and achieve their goals.

In the years 2004 to 2007 UNDP spent over $5.13 billion of public money on democratic governance projects. Overall, 80% of resources were spent on public administration reform and anti-corruption, decentralization and local governance, and electoral systems. Expenditure details are given on page 5 of the UNDP Annual Report.

The UNDP is governed by an Executive Board comprising a president, four Vice Presidents and a number of members drawn from the United Nations participating nations. The current President is His Excellency Mr John Ashe of Antigua and Barbuda.

About this Report

Photo competitions and image appeals are notified to us by our contributors from around the world. Listed below are some photo competitions or image appeals promoted by the above organisation which have not met the standards set out in the Bill of Rights.

If the terms and conditions of a contest or appeal do not comply with the standards set out in the Bill of Rights a report such as this produced and a link to it is added to the Rights Off List. We have listed in this report the terms and conditions not in compliance with the Bill of Rights to help the organiser carry out a review. The extracted terms and conditions are shown below in italics.

For advice on why failing to comply with the standards set out in the Bill of Rights is a serious issue please read this article.

If at some future date a competition organiser decides to join the Bill of Rights Supporters Group, thus ensuring that all their contests will comply with the Bill of Rights, the Rights Off report for that organisation's competition(s) will be unpublished.

The purpose of the Bill of Rights Campaign is to provide education to the public about the value of rights and to encourage photography competition organisers to adopt the standards set out in the Bill of Rights.

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Picture This: We Can End Poverty

Closing Date 16 July 2010

RULES (revised)

5.1 Photos submitted for the contest should as far as possible include the names and contact information of all people shown therein. Minors – meaning children under the age of 18 years – should have the signed approval of their parent(s) or guardian(s) before being photographed. Photographers must attach the signed release form from parent(s) or guardian(s) with their entries. Click here for release form. Send the release form to This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it . Alternatively, photographers should submit a declaration bearing responsibility for the subject and subject matter in the photos.

5.2 The copyright of submitted and winning photos will be owned by the participating photographers. The winning photos will be released to the “non-exclusive” use of UNDP, its Picture This partners ,Olympus and The AFP Foundation. Such use will be restricted to promotion, publicity, news, informational education or awareness usage relating to UNDP and the Picture This contest partners. Contest photographers will be able to use their photos, which they retain the copyright to, in their print and online portfolios, exhibitions, books and other publications and to disseminate – including sell – their photos to interested clients. They will be identified as the authors of the photos.

PRO-IMAGING COMMENT

1. All winners are granting the United Nations Development Program, Olympus and the AFP Foundation use of their work for ever. The Bill of Rights requires a time limit on usage to be set in order that the photographer regains their right to license their work exclusively.

2. All entrants are granting the sponsor usage beyond that needed to promote the contest, images will be used for other purposes.

The text of paragraph 5.2 above indicates that the photographs submitted to this contest can be used for the following purposes; promotion, publicity, news, informational education and awareness by the following organisations; United Nations Development Program, Olympus, and the AFP Foundation.

These are puposes not solely and exclusively related to promoting the contest. The Bill of Rights prohibits the acquisistion of such rights by terms and conditions set by photography competition organisers and their partners. The Bill of Rights requires a license be negotiated for such uses with the photographer.

The reader is referred to the Bill of Rights for more detail regarding the above issues.

Pro-Imaging has written to the UN to detail our complaints, requesting that the rules be changed to comply with the BoR and also to invite the UN to support the BoR. The UN have acknowledged our email and 'are looking into the matter'.

SPONSORS

#Olympus Corporation  #The Agence France-Presse (AFP) Foundation #United Nation's Department of Information (DPI)

It is particulary disappointing that two organisations so closely associated with photography should be content to support a contest which undermines the rights of all who take photographs.We are also dismayed that judges who have a strong background in photography and/or other creative disciplines should have decided to lend support to this contest.

CONTACT 

To complain to the organiser send your complaint to this email address; This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

Pro-Imaging have notified this organisation about the publishing of this report.

To visit the competition website click the competition title above to submit the free photo we have created. Note that the competition link may cease to work at some point after the competition results are announced.

You can help the Bill of Rights campaign by complaining to the organiser urging them to change their terms and conditions.  If time is at a premium for you we have prepared a complaint email which you can copy and send to the organiser. Alternatively, or as well as, you can submit the free image we have prepared to register your complaint simply by entering the free image to the contest.

Where a contest automatically displays entrants images on the contest website as they arrive the free image can also be used to test the competition and determine if it is stripping metadata. The test results can be submitted to a survey by the Controlled Vocabulary Group.

The Bill of Rights campaign depends on your active support, your help will make a difference. Do something.

Updated on 12 June 2010

The Bill of Rights Standards for Photography Competitions

Competitions which meet all the standards set out in the Bill of Rights do not do any of the following -

© Bill of Rights Supporters Group

The above text may be reproduced providing a link is given to the Bill of Rights For Photography Competitions.

Any text reproduced above in italics has been extracted from a competition website for the purposes of review.

Organisations who would like to be promoted as a Bill of Rights Supporter and have their competitions promoted on the Rights On List can use this contact form. One of the campaign team will get in touch with you.