DAY OF COMMEMORATION TO MARK 60TH UN ANNIVERSARY, HAMMARSKJÖLD’S 100TH BIRTHDAY

Note to Correspondents

DAY OF COMMEMORATION TO MARK 60^TH UN ANNIVERSARY, HAMMARSKJÖLD’S 100^TH BIRTHDAY

On Thursday, October 27, 2005, between 1:15 and 2:45 p.m., in Conference Room 3 at United Nations Headquarters, “The Spirit of the UN:  Markings for The Future”, a commemorative event, will be held to celebrate the United Nations sixtieth anniversary and the 100^th birthday of Dag Hammarskjöld, its second Secretary-General.

Jan Eliasson ( Sweden), President of the sixtieth session of the General Assembly, will be presenting.  An authentic hula troupe from Hawaii, the UN Singers, videos, interactive audience participation, and birthday surprises will also mark this exciting programme.

This event is sponsored by the Values Caucus, the NGO Committee on Spirituality, Values and Global Concerns, a committee of the Conference of NGOs in Consultative Relationship with the United Nations, and its special project, the Spiritual Council for Global Challenges, in cooperation with the United Nations Department of Public Information and the United Nations Staff Recreation Council, and numerous supporting organizations.

The programme will celebrate the past 60 years of the United Nations by remembering its founders and lay the markings of our goals and visions of the future that reflect more deeply the values and principles upon which the United Nations was founded.

All UN staff, missions, non-governmental organizations, and all members of the United Nations community are invited to join in this celebration and to participate in sharing their written reflections, which are planned for posting on an exhibit board, and subsequent compilation into a book which will be given to the Secretary-General.

For further information, please contact:  Audrey Kitagawa, tel.:  (212) 963-0984. e-mail:  kitagawaa@un.org.

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For information media • not an official record