press conference on ‘our forest is alive’ environmental musical

While world leaders must continue to respond to environmental challenges, it was just as important to educate young people on the dangers of environmental degradation, said Ryokichi Hirono, the adviser of a non-profit choral group, which presented its new musical at a Headquarters press conference this afternoon.

The group, “Classic Live for the United Nations,” would perform a charity concert entitled “Our Forest is Alive – Part III: Our Earth Charter” at the Dag Hammarskjöld Library Auditorium on Wednesday, 2 November at 7 p.m.

Mr. Hirono said the main message of the musical was to promote the Earth Charter -- a declaration of fundamental principles for building a just, sustainable, and peaceful global society -- that was approved in March 2000, in response to a call from the United Nations World Commission on Environment and Development.  The Charter was the result of deliberations at the 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development, or Earth Summit, held in Brazil.

He said the group hoped to inform young people that if the pace of environmental degradation continued as it had for the last one and a half centuries, deforestation, the destruction of natural forests and global warming would destroy the Earth.

“Through this performance, we would like to let the audience join us to really think about the work we are doing in terms of damaging the Earth, and to try to revive the beauty and bounty of the Earth itself for the next generation to come”, Mr. Hirono said.

The musical emphasized the global necessity of protecting the natural environment and recognizing the differences in the living conditions, religions and customs of different countries.  As part of the musical, students at an international school discussed the Earth Charter and realized that the future of the Earth was doomed if they only gave priority to narrow individual, or national interests, in solving the ongoing environmental problems of the world.

The musical’s sponsors included, among others, the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Japanese Ministry of the Environment and the Permanent Mission of Japan to the United Nations.

Also speaking at the press conference, the musical’s director, Masayo Koike, said many of the group’s members were growing through the experience of the musical.  She said the group included people from Ethiopia, Nigeria and Germany, as well as the State University of New York (SUNY) at Stony Brook. 

Since the inception of “Classic Live for the United Nations” in 1991, its members, all of them young people, had organized musicals and symposia with a view to promote international exchanges and broaden public understanding of the activities and role of the United Nations.

In addition to its concert at the United Nations, the group would also be performing this week at SUNY Stony Brook and at Carnegie Hall.

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For information media • not an official record