Note to Correspondents

‘FOUNDING OF THE UN’ PHOTO EXHIBIT GOES ON DISPLAY AT UN HEADQUARTERS

A photo exhibit depicting unique and rarely seen images of the early years of the United Nations goes on display at the Organization’s New York Headquarters on 27 June as part of a year-long programme of activities to mark the sixtieth anniversary of the United Nations.  The historical photo exhibit, commemorating the signing of the UN Charter in San Francisco on 26 June, 1945, is organized by the Department of Public Information with the generous support of Hewlett-Packard (HP).

United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan, General Assembly President Jean Ping, among other dignitaries, will participate in the launching of the exhibit.

The photo collection that goes on display features some 60 large-, medium-, and small-format prints from the UN Photo collection produced on HP Designjet 5500 and Designjet 130 large format printers.  Included in the display are such poignant images as the UN’s first meeting at a converted Flushing, N.Y., warehouse, Franklin D. Roosevelt and Winston Churchill meeting aboard the British battleship HMS Prince of Wales, and the construction of the UN Headquarters in New York.  The exhibit also provides a retrospective of UN humanitarian work in the aftermath of World War II, as well as the global issues on the UN agenda, such as its work on the HIV/AIDS crisis, the 2004 tsunami, and Operation Lifeline Sudan.

The United Nations holds a rich collection of more than 500,000 photographs chronicling 60 years of the Organization’s history through the lens of events held at its New York Headquarters and its temporary premises during its early days, world leaders and dignitaries participating in events throughout the years, and diverse UN activities taking place in all corners of the globe as the Organization expanded its membership from its original 51 Member States to the current 191.  Field images show the whole spectrum of human activities, from the economic and social realms, to their political ramifications.  Topics include agriculture, health, natural resources, employment, industry, microcredit, education, environment, science and technology, community life and development, human rights, refugees, etc.

The photo exhibit has been made possible with the generous support of HP, the worldwide technology corporation.  HP has supported the United Nations in the past, for example, in assisting the UN Information and Communications Technologies Task Force to assess and explore the role technology offers to improve the effectiveness and impact of development efforts globally.

The exhibit will be on view at Headquarters through Labor Day weekend, including Monday, 5 September, while the historical segment of it will continue to be on display through UN Day -- 24 October, 2005.  The exhibition will be open seven days a week.

Visit the photo URL:  http://www.un.org/av/photo. UN  photos may be requested from photolibr@un.org.  For more information on the photo exhibit, please call Ms. Lily Chau, Chief, Multimedia Resources Unit, tel.:  212 963-2123, e-mail:  chau@un.org; or Ms. Jan Arnesen, Chief, Exhibits Unit, tel.:  212 963-8531, e-mail: arnesen@un.org.

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