United Nations Information Centres
This article may require cleanup to meet Wikipedia's quality standards. The specific problem is: awkward language. (March 2018) |
The United Nations Information Centres (UNIC) is an organization founded in 1946 with its headquarters located in New York, USA. Operating globally in 63 countries, these centers serve as conduits for the exchange and dissemination of current events on behalf of the United Nations. Managed by the United Nations' Department of Global Communications within the UN Secretariat, UNICs play a crucial role in communicating organizational challenges. The Department of Global Communications reviews and approves all development projects, primarily focused on thematic promotional campaigns addressing UN-related issues, which are then disseminated through regional information centers.[2]
| Abbreviation | UNIC |
|---|---|
| Formation | 1946 |
| Purpose | Information centre |
| Headquarters | New York |
Head | António Guterres[1] (2017–present) |
| Website | unic |
History edit
Established in 1946 by the United Nations Department of Global Communications (DGC), the United Nations Information Centres (UNICs) operate with the primary mission of facilitating collaboration and information exchange for the global community. DGC, an organization dedicated to serving the people of the United Nations, oversees the functioning of UNICs. The initial establishment saw the creation of the first two UN Information Centers in 1946, and since then, these centers have expanded their reach to encompass 63 countries. Serving as central hubs, UNICs play a pivotal role in disseminating information about the United Nations system to the countries in which they are located.[3][4]
Scope edit
United Nations Information Centres have been established in the regions of Europe, Americas, UAE, Asia & Pacific, and Africa. These centres are organized to reduce the communication gaps by providing information of United Nations to the people of the world. To make it more communicable all information have been translated and presented respectively in their regional languages. These centres are otherwise called United Nations Regional Information Centres and responsible for connecting United Nations with the people of developing countries. They reach out media, institutions with coordinating the UN system and get allianced with Government, Non-government, and private sector organizations in their projects. UNICs also maintain physical & digital resources of information like libraries and electronic information medium.[5]
Activities edit
UNICs are engaged in multiple cores of activities for sharing the latest information about UN system.[6]
- Communication - UNICs follow communication strategies through the current affairs, traditional festivals, and events. They get information translated into regional languages of the countries they serve.
- Media Outreach - United Nations get connected with national & regional media houses to circulate information. These centres use press conference, print media, electronic and digital medium to collaborate information.
- Information Resource Development - These centres create & maintain resources like libraries, and websites through regional information centres. UNICs activities cover training sessions for journalist to keep them update with its development projects. They regularly conduct television and radio for broadcasting stories of UN in regional languages.
- Events Organization - These centres organize many events on international & national celebration days. Besides, they manage to arrange seminars, sports & other competitions in educational institutions.
List of centres edit
The following are all of the current information centres, as well as all the areas they serve:[7]
African States edit
| Centre | Established | Areas serviced | Director |
|---|---|---|---|
| UNIC Accra | 1958 | Ghana Sierra Leone | Sylvia Lopez-Ekra |
| UNIC Antananarivo | 1963 | Madagascar | Violet Kakyomya |
| UNO Asmara | 1993 | Eritrea | Susan Ngongi |
| UNIC Brazzaville | 1983 | Congo | Anthony Ohemeng-Boamah |
| UNIC Bujumbura | 1961 | Burundi | Garry Conille |
| UNIC Dakar | 1964 | Senegal Cape Verde Ivory Coast Gambia Guinea Guinea-Bissau Mauritania | Damian Cardona Onses |
| UNIC Dar es Salaam | 1961 | United Republic of Tanzania | Alvaro Rodriguez |
| UNIC Harare | 1982 | Zimbabwe | Bishow Parajuli |
| UNIC Lagos | 1967 | Nigeria | Ronald Kayanja |
| UNIC Lome | 1962 | Togo Benin | Damien Mama |
| UNIC Lusaka | 1975 | Zambia | Janet Rogan |
| UNIC Nairobi | 1974 | Kenya Uganda Seychelles | Nasser Ega-Musa |
| UNIC Ouagadougou | 1982 | Burkina Faso Chad Mali Niger | Metsi Makhetha |
| UNIC Pretoria | 1995 | South Africa | Masimba Tafirenyika |
| UNIC Windhoek | 1992 | Namibia | Rachel Odede |
| UNIC Yaounde | 1965 | Cameroon Central African Republic Gabon | Allegra Maria Del Pilar Baiocchi |
American States edit
| Centre | Established | Areas serviced | Director |
|---|---|---|---|
| UNIC Asuncion | 1962 | Paraguay | Jorge Meza |
| UNIC Bogota | 1954 | Colombia Ecuador Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of | Helene Papper |
| UNIC Buenos Aires | 1948 | Argentina Uruguay | Tamar Hahn |
| UNIC La Paz | 1963 | Bolivia (Plurinational State of) | Mauricio Ramirez-Villegas |
| UNIC Lima | 1960 | Peru | Maria del Carmen Sacasa |
| UNIC Mexico City | 1947 | Mexico Cuba Dominican Republic | Giancarlo Summa |
| UNIC Panama City | 1984 | Panama | Harold Robinson |
| UNIC Port of Spain | 1962 | Countries: Antigua and Barbuda Bahamas Barbados Belize Dominica Grenada Guyana Jamaica Saint Kitts and Nevis Saint Lucia Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Suriname Trinidad and Tobago Other areas: Aruba Bonaire Curaçao Saba Sint Eustatius Sint Maarten | Juan Miguel Diez |
| UNIC Rio de Janeiro | 1947 | Brazil | Maurizio Giuliano |
| UNIC Washington | 1946 | United States of America | Robert Skinner[8] |
Arab States edit
| Centre | Established | Areas serviced | Director |
|---|---|---|---|
| UNIC Algiers | 1963 | Algeria | Eric Overvest |
| UNIC Beirut | 1962 | Lebanon Jordan Kuwait Syrian Arab Republic | Marguerite El Helou |
| UNIC Cairo | 1949 | Egypt Saudi Arabia | Radhia Achouri |
| UNIC Khartoum | 1963 | Sudan Somalia | Gwi-Yeop Son |
| UNIC Manama | 1977 | Bahrain Qatar United Arab Emirates | Samir Al-Darabi |
| UNIC Rabat | 1962 | Morocco | Fethi Debbabi (Acting Director) |
| UNIC Sana'a | 1994 | Yemen | Lise Grande |
| UNIC Tunis | 1960 | Tunisia | Diego Zorrilla |
Asia and Pacific States edit
| Centre | Established | Areas serviced | Director |
|---|---|---|---|
| UNIC Canberra | 1948 | Australia Fiji Kiribati Nauru New Zealand Samoa Tonga Tuvalu Vanuatu | Christopher Woodthorpe |
| UNIC Colombo | 1961 | Sri Lanka | Hanaa Singer |
| UNIC Dhaka | 1981 | Bangladesh | Mia Seppo |
| UNIC Islamabad | 1951 | Pakistan | Vlastimil Samek (Acting Director) |
| UNIC Jakarta | 1985 | Indonesia | Francyne Harrigan (Acting Director) |
| UNIC Kathmandu | 1964 | Nepal | Sara Beysolow Nyanti |
| UNIC Manila | 1953 | Philippines Papua New Guinea Solomon Islands | Ola Almgren |
| UNIC New Delhi | 1947 | India Bhutan | Rajiv Chandran (National Information Officer) |
| UNIC Tehran | 1950 | Iran (Islamic Republic of) | Maria Dotsenko |
| UNIC Tokyo | 1958 | Japan | Kaoru Nemoto |
| UNIC Yangon | 1959 | Myanmar | Knut Ostby |
Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States edit
| Centre | Established | Areas serviced | Director |
|---|---|---|---|
| UNO Almaty | 1993 | Kazakhstan | Abdurahim Muhidov (Officer-in-Charge) |
| UNIC Ankara | 1975 | Turkey | Irena Vojačkova-Sollorano |
| UNO Baku | 1992 | Azerbaijan | Ghulam Isaczai |
| UNRIC Brussels | 2004 | Countries: Andorra Belgium Cyprus Denmark Finland France Germany Greece Holy See Iceland Ireland Italy Luxembourg Malta Monaco Netherlands Norway Portugal San Marino Spain Sweden United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland Other areas served: European Union | Deborah Seward |
| UNIS Geneva | 1947 | Switzerland | Alessandra Vellucci |
| UNO Kyiv | 1992 | Ukraine | Osnat Lubrani |
| UNO Minsk | 1992 | Belarus | Joanna Kazana |
| UNIC Moscow | 1948 | Russian Federation | Vladimir Kuznetsov |
| UNIC Prague | 1947 | Czech Republic | Michal Broza (Officer-in-Charge) |
| UNO Tashkent | 1992 | Uzbekistan | Helena Fraser |
| UNO Tbilisi | 1992 | Georgia | Vinton Louisa |
| UNIS Vienna | 1984 | Austria Hungary Slovakia Slovenia | Martin Nesirky |
| UNIC Warsaw | 1995 | Poland | Mariola Ratschka (Officer-in-Charge) |
| UNO Yerevan | 1992 | Armenia | Shombi Sharp |
References edit
- ^ "Secretary General Biography". United Nations. 22 December 2016.
- ^ "Who We Are". United Nations Information Centres.
- ^ . United Nations Foundation. Archived from the original on 1 March 2018.
- ^ UN Information Centers & Services. United Nations. 1998. p. 1461. ISBN 978-9-211008401.
- ^ "Partnerships". United Nations Information Centres.
- ^ Yearbook of the United Nations. United Nations. 2003. pp. 635–636. ISBN 978-9-211009057.
- ^ "UNIC Directory". United Nations Information Centres. Department of Global Communications, United Nations. Retrieved 19 March 2019.
- ^ . UN Association of the National Capital Area. Archived from the original on 15 August 2020. Retrieved 3 October 2020.
External links edit
- United Nations Information Centres Website
- United Nations
- United Nations Information Centre Washington