NOTE TO CORRESPONDENTS NEW UN HIGH COMMISSIONER FOR HUMAN RIGHTS TO BE INTERVIEWED BY BROADCASTERS FROM FOUR REGIONS IN LIVE DPI RADIO PROGRAMME

Press Release

NOTE TO CORRESPONDENTS NEW UN HIGH COMMISSIONER FOR HUMAN RIGHTS TO BE INTERVIEWED BY BROADCASTERS FROM FOUR REGIONS IN LIVE DPI RADIO PROGRAMME

The new United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Mary Robinson, will be the featured guest of a live international radio broadcast organized by United Nations Radio in collaboration with 10 regional and international networks from four continents.

Scheduled from 9 to 10 a.m. (EDT) on Friday, 26 September, the unrehearsed question-and-answer broadcast will be anchored from the United Nations Radio studios in New York. During the hour-long interview, the High Commissioner will field questions from foreign affairs correspondents and editors from 10 countries on a range of human rights issues.

The following 10 networks will participate: Voice of America, Vatican Radio, Special Broadcasting Services (SBS/Australia), Radio Thailand, Radio Netherlands, Kenya Broadcasting Corporation (KBC), Radio Japan (NHK), Deutsche Welle, Channel Africa and All India Radio.

Mrs. Robinson, the former President of Ireland, assumed the post of High Commissioner for Human Rights on 12 September. She had been appointed by Secretary-General Kofi Annan on 12 June, and on 17 June, the General Assembly approved her appointment for a four-year term at the rank of Under-Secretary- General.

The programme will be webcast live at the following address: . Later on the same day, the show will also be available on the United Nations Radio Bulletin Board (telephone: 212-963-3777). An audio cassette of the show will be available after the broadcast in the Audio Library (Room GA-27).

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