UN TO RELEASE NEW LIST OF ‘TEN STORIES THE WORLD SHOULD HEAR MORE ABOUT’

Note to Correspondents

UN TO RELEASE NEW LIST OF ‘TEN STORIES THE WORLD SHOULD HEAR MORE ABOUT’

In its continuing efforts to draw attention to important international developments and issues that fall outside the media spotlight, the United Nations Department of Public Information (DPI) will launch on Tuesday, 3 May 2005, a new list of “Ten Stories the World Should Hear More About.”

The 2005 list of Ten Stories will be presented by Shashi Tharoor, Under-Secretary-General for Communications and Public Information, during the Department’s commemoration of World Press Freedom Day at UN Headquarters in New York.

As in 2004, when the Ten Stories initiative was inaugurated, the new list includes stories on an array of issues and from several geographical regions.  Some of the stories on the list focus on troubling humanitarian emergencies and conflict situations, but they also highlight such vital areas as human rights, health and development.

“Our list will present a wide spectrum of matters of concern to many, many people around the world, and we look forward to working with media everywhere to help raise the profile of these stories”, says Mr. Tharoor.  He stresses that this initiative is about engaging the media –- rather than being critical of them, or trying to divert attention from other UN-related issues raised by the press.  “We know that journalists can’t cover everything”, he notes, “but we feel that people around the world need to know more about these critical stories.”

The list has been prepared in consultation with UN offices and programmes, many of which provided their views and ideas on issues they believed would benefit from greater media exposure.  As happened last year, the final selection was DPI’s alone.  While the stories will be ranked from one to 10, their ranking is not a reflection of their relative significance.

The official announcement of the 2005 list of Ten Stories the World Should Hear More About will be made by Mr. Tharoor at the DPI-organized seminar on the role of the media and the issue of tolerance, to be held in Conference Room 2 from 9:50 a.m. to 1 p.m.

DPI will provide additional information about the stories, including contacts for United Nations focal points for the respective issues, on the special Ten Stories web page (www.un.org/events/tenstories).  This site can be also accessed through the UN News Centre portal, at www.un.org.news.

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