The UN, UNESCO and World Bank as sources of information

United Nations Information Centre

• The United Nations Information Centre (UNIC) is the primary source of all information relating to all UN bodies and their activities.

• The United Nations Information Centre in New Delhi covers India and Bhutan and was the first United Nations office to be established in independent India in 1947. 

• It’s activities include:- publicizing UN initiatives and programmes - engaging in a variety of outreach activities,

like lectures, media briefings and press conferences, TV and radio interviews, exhibitions etc.

- conducting information activities on behalf of UN agencies without local representation

- maintaining close co-operation with and assists UN agencies based in India.

• provides information on the United Nations to print and electronic media, governmental and non-governmental organizations, educational institutions, academic and other research centers and think-tanks, students and the public at large.

• UNIC Director acts as spokesperson for the United Nations and represents the UN Secretary-General at important occasions and events; interacts regularly with the media, briefing them on key UN issues and giving interviews on topical and development issues.

• UNIC New Delhi maintains a reference library of United Nations documents and publications

• The library also serves as focal point for all public inquiries about the United Nations activities.

• The audio-visual resources available at UNIC include film, CD-Rom and video collections that are available on loan to local broadcasters, non-governmental organizations and educational institutions.

Partnership with Government and Key Institutions

UNIC has established close linkages with key departments in the Government of India.

• It maintains close cooperation with its nodal Ministry of External Affairs. It cooperates with MEA’s ICCR wing in the observance of UN Day, etc.

• It also collaborates with the Ministry of Water Resources in marking International Day of Water

• and with the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment in observing International Day of Older Persons.

• UNIC works closely with the National Human Rights

Commission in observing Human Rights Day on 10 December.

Reference Library

• Major reference sources of information on political, economic, social, humanitarian, legal and other activities of the United Nations system.

• Official records of main organs of the United Nations and their subsidiary bodies are particularly interesting for academics and students. UN statistical publications are consulted by a wide circle of scholars.

• Subject-wise, UNIC library covers a wide range of issues dealt with by the UN: peacekeeping, human rights, development, environment, population, refugees, housing, shelter, women, children, crime, transport, drug control, disabled, elderly, alleviation of poverty, outer space, HIV/AIDS, trade, investment, law of the sea, etc.

Media and Outreach• UNIC is in daily contact with national and vernacular media

outlets; journalists rely on UNIC as an authoritative source of information about the United Nations.

• In addition, UNIC disseminates on a regular basis pamphlets, documents, information kits, posters, photos, books etc., produced by the Department of Public Information and other UN agencies.

• Vernacular translations – especially in Hindi - of select UN documents are also undertaken.

• Films, video tapes and audio cassettes are provided to media users, including Doordarshan.

• All India Radio is regularly supplied with tapes of UN Radio programmes, which it broadcasts to the entire Asian region.

Civil Society

• Engages with NGOs in organizing seminars, colloquiums, conferences and dialogues on diverse UN themes and priorities.

• Collaborates with the Forum of Indian NGOs for Cooperation with the UN, in organizing seminars and colloquiums on various UN priority themes.

UNIC provides information passed on to it by the following agencies

• UNESCO

• UNHCR

• UNICEF

• UNDP

• UNAID

• UNPKF etc.

• Each of these organizations have their own information and communications sector too and can be accessed by the public/media.

• UNIC hosts a website (http://www.unic.org.in) which contains electronic versions of its weekly newsletter, press releases issued and Development Supplements that capture the work of the various UN agencies in India on a particular theme.

Location – New Delhi

• United Nations Information Centre, 55 Lodi Estate, New Delhi 110003, India. 

UNESCO

• United Nations Educational, Scientific, cultural organization is a specialized agency of the UN

• Estd. November 16, 1945• Present Head: Irina Bukova

(Bulgaria) • Now includes Naturals Sciences

and Information and Communications as the next two sectors, besides the previous three.

• HQ at Paris, France

UNESCO- Objectives

• Attaining quality education for all and lifelong learning

• Mobilizing science knowledge and policy for sustainable development

• Addressing emerging social and ethical challenges

• Fostering cultural diversity, intercultural dialogue and a culture of peace

• Building inclusive knowledge societies through information and communication

UNESCO and it’s global network

• Works with it’s network of

1. National Commissions

2. Field offices

3. Institutes and Centers

National Commissions• 196 National Commissions• Regions: Arab states I Africa I Asia and the Pacific I Europe

and North America I Latin America and the Carribean I Associate members I Other territories I

• The Section of National Commissions publishes an Information Bulletin three times a year, highlighting key events taking place in the world of National Commissions as well as major developments at UNESCO with direct relevance to them. 

The Information Bulletin puts special focus on the Section’s activities with and for National Commissions and on their innovative projects at the national, sub-regional and global levels. They allow the reader to follow major developments at the Organization with direct relevance to them. 

Field offices• Some work as cluster

offices, while others work as regional offices.

• New Delhi is a cluster office- covers activities in South Asian countries of Bnagladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal and Sri Lanka. 

Institutes and Centers • UNESCO International Institute for Educational Planning (IIEP);

Paris (France) and Buenos Aires (Argentina)• UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning (UIL); Hamburg

(Germany); • UNESCO Institute for Information Technologies in Education

 (IITE); Moscow (Russian Federation)• UNESCO International Institute for Capacity-Building in Africa

 (IICBA); Addis Ababa (Ethiopia)• UNESCO International Institute for Higher Education in Latin A

merica and the Caribbean(IESALC); Caracas (Venezuela)

• UNESCO International Centre for Technical and Vocational Education and Training(UNEVOC); Bonn (Germany)

• UNESCO Institute for Water Education (IHE); Delft (Netherlands)

• International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP); Trieste (Italy)

• UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS); Montreal (Canada)

Publications

• UNESCO promotes the sharing of knowledge through the production and wide dissemination of publications and written materials. 

• The written materials and publications help in mobilization of civil society in support of UNESCO's objectives and raising the Organization’s visibility. 

• These documents also help in the transmission of information, knowledge, analysis and expert advice.

• Produced by UNESCO Secretariat and National Commissions: 

Publications 

Documents

Newsletters from Field Offices

• The library is open from Monday to Friday (except on UN holidays) between 0930 to 1230 hrs and 1400 to 1700 hrs (lunch break 1230 to 1400 hrs).

• UNESCO has a separate website dedicated to it’s publishings.-

http://publishing.unesco.org/books.aspx • One can place orders here as well. • Include books, periodicals, scientific maps, multimedia,

press etc.

   

   

                                   

          

   

                                    

         

   

                                   

          

   

                                      

       

   

 

• Each Field office or Cluster has a ‘Communications and Information Sector’ that functions in close coordination with the sector based in the HQ is Paris.

• UNESCO New Delhi Library, Documentation and Information Services (LDIS) 

UNESCO New Delhi Library is a specialized library catering to all fields of UNESCO’s competence, i.e. Education, Science, Social Sciences, Culture, Communication and Information. It is mainly used for reference purposes and serves the UNESCO staff, institutional partners as well as students and researchers. 

Free and Open Software portal• The UNESCO Free Software Portal gives access to

documents and websites which are references for the Free Software/Open Source Technology movement. It is also a gateway to resources related to Free Software.

• With the Free Software Portal, UNESCO provides a single interactive access point to pertinent information for users who wish to acquire an understanding of the Free Software movement, to learn why it is important and to apply the concept. 

• http://portal.unesco.org/ci/en/ev.php-URL_ID=12034&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html

Communications and Information Sector

• Headed in India by Ms.Iskra Panevska – Advisor, Communication and Information Sector, South Asia.

• It’s activities are based on the following themes:

1. Access to Information

2. Capacity Building

3. Content Development

4. Freedom of Expression 5. Media Development6. ICTs and Development

• The three principal strategic objectives of the Sector’s programmes are: 

• Promoting the free flow of ideas and universal access to information

• Promoting the expression of pluralism and cultural diversity in the media and world information networks

• Promoting access for all to ICTs

In addition to the Regular Programme, the CI Sector implements various inter-regional, regional and national projects with extra-budgetary funding

Some projects UNESCO has undertaken..

• Community radio development workshops in Nepal, India, Sri Lanka, Maldives.

• ICT literacy workshops in Kerala• Journalism training imparted to women journalists in hill-

districts of North-East• Science Olympiads for school students at the national

level.• Media and Information Literacy Workshop for Teacher

Trainers from South Asia• Mark the World Press Freedom Day every year.• International Consultation on Model Curricula for

Journalism

PHOTOBANK• UNESCO’s online photo library

displays thousands of photos on the Organization’s activities. You can choose the images that interest you and see the information you need for each one of them on your screen.

• Photobank is the indispensable tool for all those who are interested in UNESCO and in its programmes in the fields of Education, Social and Natural Sciences, Culture and Communication.