FIRST UNITED NATIONS WORLD TELEVISION FORUM TO FOCUS ON ROLE OF TELEVISION IN DECISION-MAKING

Press Release
PI/977

FIRST UNITED NATIONS WORLD TELEVISION FORUM TO FOCUS ON ROLE OF TELEVISION IN DECISION-MAKING

The power and potential of television in influencing decision-makers and promoting international understanding will be explored in a two-day meeting of heads of the world's major broadcasting corporations to be held at Headquarters on 21 and 22 November.

The event, called United Nations World Television Forum, is the first to be convened by the Organization to focus specifically on the global role of television.

The Forum will offer a unique opportunity for heads of the world's major broadcasting corporations, non-governmental representatives and journalists from different regions of the world to debate the role television can and must play in meeting the challenges of the twenty-first century.

More than 130 broadcasting personalities from over 50 countries are expected to take part in the dialogue-format United Nations Forum. Among issues to be discussed is how television can strike a balance between commercial imperatives and the medium's potential to promote a global society that reflects the ideals of the Charter of the United Nations.

The Forum is being jointly organized by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs through Italy's Permanent Mission to the United Nations, and by Radio-televisione Italiana (RAI), the public broadcasting company of Italy.

The list of participants include the President and Director-General of France Television, Xavier Gouyou Beauchamps; the Chairman of the Council of Ministers for Information of the Non-Aligned Movement, Walter Ofonagoro of Nigeria; the President and Chief Executive Officer of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, Perrin Beatty; and the Vice-Chairman of Time Warner, Inc., Ted Turner. Also expected to take part are Judy Woodruff, Senior Correspondent of Cable News Network (CNN), and Christiane Amanpour of CNN and CBS, who is scheduled to participate in the Forum via satellite from the field.

- 2 - Press Release PI/977 12 November 1996

Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali will open the Forum at 10 a.m. on 21 November with an address in the Trusteeship Council Chamber. He will be followed by Lamberto Dini, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Italy, and the President of the General Assembly, Razali Ismail (Malaysia).

The Chairman of RAI, Enzo Siciliano, will open the first session of the Forum, which will discuss the theme "Television and Globalization", on 21 November at 10:30 a.m. His presentation, which will set the tone for the dialogue, is expected to draw on new research by RAI on coming changes in global television that can help bridge the gaps between countries at widely different levels of development.

The founder of CNN, Mr. Turner, will be the main speaker at a luncheon beginning at 1:15 p.m. on 22 November.

The Assistant Secretary-General for Public Information, Samir Sanbar, will be the Forum's moderator over the two days.

Other themes to be discussed during the event include a discussion on the question of "Television and Diversity in the Global Village", from 3 to 6 p.m. on 21 November, which will address the cultural impact -- positive and negative -- of globalized television. It will be followed, at 7:30 p.m., by a reception at the Museum of Television and Radio, at 25 West 52nd Street, hosted jointly by RAI and the Museum.

The Forum's second day will feature a discussion on the theme "Television and International News", in which two panels -- one from 9:30 to 11 a.m., the other from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. -- will examine the impact of televised news reports on decision-makers and the world, and the interrelationship between news coverage of conflicts and conflict resolution. It will be followed by Mr. Turner's luncheon address.

The closing session will discuss the theme "Television and the Future", from 3 to 6 p.m. on 22 November. It will focus specifically on the role of public broadcasters, and how television can enhance understanding among peoples and cooperation among nations as envisioned by the United Nations Charter.

All sessions will be held in the Trusteeship Council Chamber.

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