Note to Correspondents

UNITED NATIONS TO HOST THIRD WEB FOR DEVELOPMENT CONFERENCE 20-22 NOVEMBER

The United Nations will host the third annual Web for Development Conference at its world Headquarters in New York.

The three-day Conference begins on 20 November and presents a unique opportunity for website managers from more than 80 international development organizations to examine the overall role of the World Wide Web in economic development.  The attendees will explore practical solutions to common challenges and examine new directions for using technology and professional skills to meet the urgent information needs of the development community.

Workshops at the Conference will, through team efforts, result in increased knowledge sharing, collaboration and innovative solutions following best practices.  The range of topics has been developed to respond to current needs, including content management systems, website evaluation, multilingual websites, accessibility, Internet broadcasting and collaboration tools (blogs and wikis).

The agenda will feature experts and leaders in the fields of the topical discussions and workshops.  Detailed information is available at the Conference website:  www.un.org/events/web4dev/.

While the World Wide Web offers vast potential to improve the work of international organizations, “realizing that potential requires the collaboration and dialogue that the Web4Dev Community was designed to foster”, noted Ahmed Fawzi, Director, News and Media Division, United Nations Department of Public Information.

There are no fees for Conference participation.  However, each participant is responsible for his/her travel and accommodations.

The United Nations remains committed to making an impact on development through the Web.

For further information, please contact Lilia Vázquez, vazquez@un.org, or Soad Sommereyns, sommereyns@un.org.

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For information media • not an official record