PRESS BRIEFING TO LAUNCH ‘UN WORKS’ WEB SITE

PRESS BRIEFING TO LAUNCH ‘UN WORKS’ WEB SITE

A Web site to illustrate how the work of the United Nations positively impacted on people’s lives was launched at Headquarters yesterday by Shashi Tharoor, the Interim Head of the Department of Public Information.

Speaking to correspondents, Mr. Tharoor said that the public was not always aware of how the work of the United Nations affected people’s lives and yet it did so in many different ways.  It could be through a treaty to cut ozone-depleting gases, grass-roots development projects or a global vaccination campaign to prevent childhood diseases.

“The United Nations family is out there everyday working for people in different ways, and this Web site shows how it does that.  Its timely and compelling stories reveal the breadth and the relevance of the United Nations’ work”, he added.

Describing the Web site as a cyber magazine, he said that the stories would be updated regularly, and links to the Web sites of other United Nations bodies and non-governmental organizations would expand the stories and show how different organizations work together on a particular issue.  It was only available in English at the moment, but the intention was to have it in all six official languages.

After an illustration of how the Web site worked, Mr. Tharoor appealed to members of the press to visit it and gave its address as www.un.org/works.

Responding to a question on why another Web site was necessary, the Interim Head of the Department of Public Information said that there were no stories about ordinary people on the current United Nations Web site.  People were ultimately what the Organization was about, and the Secretary-General had said that the United Nations should measure its success not by documents issued or resolutions passed, but by the difference the Organization made to the lives of individuals.

He concluded that since there was no shortage of people to spread the bad news when something went wrong in the United Nations, when there was good news the Organization should ensure that everyone was aware of it.

“It’s not that we are denying that sometimes things don’t work, we do, I think with some confidence and courage, face the bad news whenever we need to, but when there is good news we would like to get it out there and we would like you to notice that it’s there too”, he said.

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