UNITED NATIONS WELCOMES NEW YORK CITY SCHOOL PRINCIPALS TO HEADQUARTERS

22 October 2003

Note to Correspondents

UNITED NATIONS WELCOMES NEW YORK CITY SCHOOL PRINCIPALS TO HEADQUARTERS

NEW YORK, 22 October -- More than 400 New York City school principals are expected to attend a programme at United Nations Headquarters in celebration of United NationsUN Day on Thursday, 23 October, from 4:30 to 7:00 p.m.  The programme, organized by the United Nations Department of Public Information in collaboration with the New York City Commission for the United Nations, Consular Corps and Protocol, a Division of the New York City Mayor’s Office, together with the United Nations Foundation, is designed to offer principals in the City’s public school system a variety of tools to help their students learn about global issues and the work of the United Nations. 

      As the principals arrive, they will view the current exhibits in the Visitors’ Lobby -- “"A Day in the Life of Africa”", “"Ralph Bunche: Visionary for World Peace”" and “"Ageless”" –- as well as a video of the Secretary-General’s message for United NationsUN Day and a video that highlights the “What’s Going On” series, currently airing on Showtime, that focuses on issues from child soldiers to HIV/AIDS to refugees.  They will be offered guided tours of Headquarters, and the hours of operation of the United NationsUN Bookshop, Gift Centre and Postal Counter will be extended for their visit.

      There will also be displays in the Visitors Lobby of information material of interest to educators from both the Department of Public Information and the United NationsUN Association for the United States (UNA-USA).  Resource people will be on hand to answer any questions the principals may have.  To help this important constituency bring the United NationsUN into their classrooms more effectively, there will be presentations by the Department of Public Information’s Educational Outreach Section on the resources available to students and teachers, including the United NationsUN Cyberschoolbus. 

      In addition, there will be a special briefing for the principals by Eveline Herfkens, the Secretary-General’s Executive Coordinator for the Millennium Development Goals Campaign, on cCurrent cChallenges before the United NationsUN, starting at 5:00 p.m. in the Dag Hammarskjöld Library Auditorium.  Seating is limited and available on a first-come, first-served basis.

      The principals will then attend a reception in the Delegates’ Dining Room where the featured speakers will beMrs. Nane Annan; New York City Commissioner for the United Nations, Marjorie Tiven; New York City Schools Chancellor, Joel Klein; Executive Vice-President of the United Nations Foundation and Better World Fund, Kathy Bushkin; and the United Nations Under- Secretary-General for CommunicationsFoundation and Better World Fund, Kathy Bushkin; and the United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Communications and Public Information, Shashi Tharoor.  The reception is being sponsored by the United Nations Foundation and Better World Fund.

      The New York City Commission for the United Nations, Consular Corps and Protocol serves as the official liaison between the Office of the Mayor (as well as all City agencies) and the United Nations, 191 pPermanent mMissions, and 106 cConsulates.  As host to the Headquarters of the United Nations and the world’s largest diplomatic and consular community, the Commission’s main purpose is to facilitate positive relations among members of the international community, local, state, and federal governments, and New Yorkers.

      For additional information, please contact:  the   United Nations Public Relations Section;, telephone.:   (212) 963-7721.

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