Note No. 5780

                                                            19 March 2003

Note to Correspondents

INTERNATIONAL DAY OF LA FRANCOPHONIE CELEBRATED WITH HEADQUARTERS EXHIBITION

“Dialogue of culture” is the theme of the exhibition of paintings, sculptures, pictures and tapestry opening at United Nations Headquarters in New York today to celebrate the International Day of La Francophonie.  Ridha Bouabid, the Permanent Representative of the International Organization of la Francophonie to the United Nations, in cooperation with the United Nations Association culturelle francophone and under the patronage of the Group of Francophone Ambassadors, will launch the exhibit at 6 p.m. at the Headquarters visitor’s entrance.

The exhibition, which is co-sponsored by the United Nations Department of Public Information, seeks to convey the message that “peace implies the respect of differences and calls for an increasingly deeper rooting of a culture of tolerance in the hearts and minds”.  Some 29 artists from 21 member countries of the International Organization of la Francophonie are participating in the month-long exhibition, which will run through 20 April.

The International Day of la Francophonie, 20 March, is celebrated annually to reaffirm the common commitment of the United Nations and la Francophonie to peace and democracy, as well as cultural and linguistic diversity.

For further information, please contact Jan Arnesen, United Nations Department of Public Information, tel.:  (212) 963-8531.

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