Skopje, 2 March 2026 (MIA) — The Association of Journalists of Macedonia, partnering with the United Nations Development Program on its "Scaling-up Actions to Tackle Air Pollution" project funded by Sweden, awarded earlier Monday prizes to journalists reporting on air pollution data and policy.

The highest award was given to Mihail Miloshevski for his 360 Degrees story "Five More Cities Have Found Out What Pollutes Their Air — What Will the Mayors Do?" BIRN reporter Bojan Blazhevski was awarded the runner-up prize for his piece "Authorities are Guilty of Neglecting the Macedonian Phosphogypsum Landfill." Radio Free Europe's Vladimir Kalinski rounded out the top three with "Every Breath Hurts," a testimony of a cancer patient about living in polluted Skopje.

According to the awards jury — journalists Goran Momiroski, Sonja Petrushevska and Edin Rastoder — the winning entries did more than just highlight air pollution; they provided evidence-based perspectives on potential solutions and contributed to raising public awareness of air pollution and its consequences for the environment and human health.

Special recognition was awarded to Orce Kostov from Focus weekly for the article "No Measure Has Given Results — Skopje Residents Breathe the Most Toxic Air in Europe."

Addressing the gathering, Swedish Ambassador Ola Sohlström said Sweden was proud and happy to support the UNDP's efforts to tackle air pollution and strengthen environmental protection.

However, "to be drivers of real change, we need social change," he said, highlighting the critical role that investigative journalism and compelling narratives play in informing and educating the public.

"Sweden's investment in the UNDP project is an investment in transparency, honesty and rigorous supervision — and in the truth, and that's a big word," Sohlström said.

UNDP country representative Armen Grigoryan said the project, carried out in partnership with the Ministry of Environment and Goce Delchev University, deployed a comprehensive monitoring system to collect precise environmental data.

These data "directly contributed to the development of local air quality plans," he said.

According to Grigoryan, this has led to Sweden co-financing at least 50% of various municipal projects, from improving energy efficiency in schools to building new urban parks, which he called "the lungs of our cities."

"When journalists have access to data, they are not just reporters, but become guardians of the environment, leaders and champions in this area," he said.

AJM president Mladen Chadikovski said air pollution should not be just another news item; journalists should serve as environmental watchdogs, responsibly and relentlessly exposing polluters poisoning the environment. 

The "Scaling-up Actions to Tackle Air Pollution" project, implemented by the UNDP together with the Ministry of Environment and five municipalities (Kavadarci, Kumanovo, Gostivar, Strumica and Struga), aims to reduce emissions, increase public awareness and change behavioral habits. mr/