SECOND UNITED NATIONS WORLD TELEVISION FORUM CONCLUDES AT HEADQUARTERS

21 November 1997

Press Release
PI/1043

SECOND UNITED NATIONS WORLD TELEVISION FORUM CONCLUDES AT HEADQUARTERS

19971121 Proposal Made for World Telethon to Aid Children Victimized by War; Participants Also Suggest Stronger Role for Television in Fight against Drugs

Speaking today at the conclusion of the second United Nations World Television Forum, the Chairman of Radiotelevisione Italiana (RAI), Enzo Siciliano, said that the international television community should participate in a United Nations world telethon to aid children who were victims of war, particularly those who had been hurt by landmines.

In closing remarks to the three-day forum, Mr. Siciliano also said that the media could be an effective instrument in the fight against drugs and he proposed that television join that struggle. Expressing a similar theme, the permanent representative of Italy to the United Nations, Francesco Paolo Fulci, drew attention to a proposal made during the Forum that, during the upcoming special session of the United Nations General Assembly devoted to the fight against drugs from 8 to 10 June, a day be set aside to explore the role the media could play in that fight.

Also in closing remarks, the Assistant Secretary-General for Public Information, Samir Sanbar, told the Forum's participants that he hoped to draw from the worldwide experiences and feedback that the first two World Television Forums had evoked. Such ideas could eventually lead to the creation of a framework with which to sharpen the focus for future meetings. He expressed the hope that the United Nations could work jointly with the media.

The President of Mediaset, Fedele Confalonieri, also spoke today.

Leaders from the broadcast industry took part in the Forum, whose theme was "Television in the New Multimedia Environment". Secretary-General Kofi Annan opened the Forum, which was organized by the Department of Public of Information (DPI) and co-sponsored by Italy's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, RAI and Mediaset. Among the topics discussed were "Visions for the Future", "The New Multimedia Environment", "New Scenarios in Television: Quality, Quantity and Access", and "Programming for People".

The fifth and final panel of the Forum, "New Challenges for International Cooperation", was moderated by Hassan Hamed, President, Union des Radiodiffusions et Televisions Nationales d'Afrique. In observance of World Television Day, 21 November, established by the General Assembly in 1996 following the first United Nations World Television Forum, a video link was established between the Forum's participants at Headquarters and opera star Luciano Pavarotti in Italy.

Statements

ENZO SICILIANO, Chairman of RAI - Radiotelevisione Italiana, said the international television community should participate in a United Nations world telethon in aid of children who had been the victims of war, particularly those who had been hurt by landmines. The media could also be an effective instrument in the fight against drugs. Television should join that struggle. Telethons could be worldwide events and they could, as demonstrated by Luciano Pavarotti, use the common language of the world: Music. During such an event, a network of concerts could be held throughout the world. The live television connection that had just been held with Luciano Pavarotti in Naples made it clear how such initiatives could be organized.

He also suggested that television stations around the world use their archival material -- RAI, for example, had extensive television archives -- to reconstruct a visual history of the twentieth century. As the end of the century approached, a huge mosaic of the twentieth century could be created showing the achievements and the horrors that had taken place. He was confident that could be achieved.

FEDELE CONFALONIERI, President of Mediaset, said there should be a commitment by the television companies throughout the world to join in the efforts that had been put forward. The Foreign Minister of Italy had suggested that, at the time of next June's special session of the General Assembly on drug abuse and illicit drug trafficking, a day be set aside to reflect on how the media could play a more effective role in fighting the scourge of drug abuse. The television industry and the United Nations should work together to make that event a success. He also supported the bold initiatives that had been proposed by his colleague, the Chairman of RAI, Enzo Siciliano.

FRANCESCO PAOLO FULCI (Italy) said that in its infancy, television was a "vast wasteland", but today it could hardly be called a wasteland. Italy's Foreign Minister had said that rather than create a global village, the explosion of communication might shift attention from the general to the specific. Dan Rather, the Managing Editor of CBS News, in his address to the Forum, had asked whether the 500 cable channels soon to be available in New

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York City would add to the confusion or be an instrument of social and cultural growth.

He said that the World Television Form was designed to address the gap between technology and development. Thus, the Forum`s assistance in closing the information gap was a welcome achievement. The Forum could help broaden international dialogue on such issues as underdevelopment, famine, poverty, drugs, crime, ethnic and political conflicts and natural catastrophes.

Concerning the role of television, he drew attention to a proposal made during the Forum that on the occasion of the upcoming special session of the United Nations General Assembly dedicated to the fight against drugs -- 8 to 10 June 1998 -- a day could be devoted to the role of the media in preventing and fighting that terrible scourge. Such a day could lead to, among other initiatives, a worldwide programme and the organization of a "telethon" concerning the impact of drugs on children.

SAMIR SANBAR, Assistant Secretary-General for Public Information, said that the World Television Form was a meeting of professional television personalities, not a procedural meeting. He hoped, therefore, to draw from the worldwide experiences and feedback the two Forums had evoked. Such ideas and proposals could create a basic framework with which to sharpen the focus for future meetings.

He expressed the hope that the United Nations could work jointly with the media. He did not wish to push anything on the participants, but rather to have the process evolve from contacts and dialogue. He expressed thanks to the participants for their interventions, private discussions and further insights, reiterating the importance of working together in close cooperation.

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