NEW UN WEB SITE LAUNCHED AT PRESS BRIEFING

Press Briefing

NEW UN WEB SITE LAUNCHED AT PRESS BRIEFING

The United Nations Web site had undergone a dramatic facelift, the Chief of Information Technology in the Department of Public Information, Mahbub Ahmad, told correspondents at the launching of the redesigned United Nations Web site at a Headquarters press briefing Friday afternoon, 1 September.

In the four years of its existence, said Mr. Ahmad, the United Nations Web site, which received some 1 million hits per day, had seen phenomenal growth and expansion. Since 1996, the Web site had been rendered into each of the six official languages of the United Nations. The Arabic, Chinese, Russian and Spanish Web sites were still in the process of being developed, however, and contained less material than the English and French sites, he said.

The first major change to the site was that the user had to choose at the outset which of the six official languages he or she wished to continue with, he explained. The word "welcome" appeared in each of the six official languages, and the user could click on to the homepage in that language. The look and feel of the Web site had also changed, and it was generally more user-friendly, he said.

"The old page as you knew it", Mr. Ahmad said, "is history", as he officially launched the new site. But while the new Web site had been launched with the click of a button, the redesign effort "had not happened overnight”. The redesign, which had been carried out by the Department of Public Information with the cooperation of the various Secretariat offices that provided the Web site contents, had been quite an undertaking.

On the redesigned homepage, the substantive issues of the United Nations, including peace and security, economic and social development, human rights, humanitarian affairs and international law, appeared on the top of the page, he explained. Information items about the United Nations appeared around the United Nations logo in the centre of the page. Subsequent pages followed the pattern of the homepage, with the different aspects of each issue appearing around the United Nations logo.

The new Web site was easier to navigate, he said. One new feature was that the user could jump directly to other pages on the site without having to go back to the homepage. Another new feature of the redesigned Web site was pop-up boxes which explained the contents of each information item without having to go into the actual page. The new homepage also contained an item called "About the United Nations" -- a compilation of information about the United Nations all in one place, which included a live "webcam" view from the United Nations Secretariat Building that could be seen at any time from any place in the world.

Also on the redesigned Web site was a new page for the United Nations Secretary-General, Mr. Ahmad said. That page contained the Secretary-General's biography, his "team", official travel plans, information on the Deputy Secretary- General and various statements and reports, including the Secretary-General's Millennium Report.

UN Web Site Briefing - 2 - 5 September 2000

The redesigned site also contained an item entitled "Issues on the United Nations Agenda", which was a collection of information on some 50 issues before the United Nations. That item also provided links to the United Nations agencies dealing with each issue. A site index, an extremely useful tool, he said, had also been added to the site. The index listed in alphabetical order many of the items scattered throughout the Web site.

A correspondent said that the Millennium Summit Web site was "unreadable" and had been written in "UN-ease". Would it be made more user-friendly before the Summit? Mr. Ahmad said that they had been trying to make that page as user- friendly as possible. Once into the Millennium page, however, the user would see that it contained a wealth of information about the Summit. Statements by the heads of state and government at the Summit would be made available on the Web site as soon as possible -- perhaps within 15 to 20 minutes of delivery. The Web site would also contain a live "webcast" of the Summit proceedings.

Where on the Web site would the speeches be posted? a correspondent asked. The homepage contained a Millennium button, he said. After clicking on that button, a Millennium Summit button would appear. The statements, webcast and press material would all be under that item, he said. Statements would be listed according to country, date and session.

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