UNITED NATIONS INTRODUCES NEW AFFORDABLE PRICING POLICY FOR PUBLICATIONS

SOLD IN DEVELOPING, LEAST DEVELOPED COUNTRIES

 

Starting 1 July, the United Nations Secretariat will introduce a new three-tier pricing policy for its publications sold in developing, least developed and developed countries.  This novel marketing and sales effort will make more than 4,000 United Nations publications more economical and readily accessible to educational institutions, students, teachers and researchers. 

While prices in developed countries will continue to be set based on prevailing market conditions in those countries, the sales price in developing and least developed countries will be reduced by 50 per cent and 75 per cent, respectively.  The new pricing policy will apply both to print publications as well as PDF versions sold online.  For instance, the print edition of the Yearbook of the United Nations, which costs $175, would be available at half and one quarter the price, depending upon the country where it is sold.

Each year, the United Nations adds approximately 900 new titles in multiple languages to its catalogue of publications, which reflect an array of subjects, such as peace and security, women and population, environment, health and urban issues, human rights, law and crime prevention, trade and technology.  The Outreach Division of the United Nations Department of Public Information (DPI) promotes these publications across the world.  These can be obtained directly from the United Nations publications sales offices or from a network of 86 international sales agents, whose details can be found on the United Nations publications website (http://unp.un.org).  In addition to print publications, an extensive collection of statistical data and books in electronic format will also be available for sale at differential prices.

“Purchasing capacity is very different around the world,” said Eric Falt, Director of the Outreach Division of DPI and Chairman of the United Nations Publications Board in New York.  “Buying books puts significant financial strain on individuals and institutions in the developing and least developed countries.  And often they have to rely upon outdated material or look elsewhere to learn about the United Nations.  We hope that, by offering highly researched and customized information at affordable prices, we will provide an attractive initiative to schools, universities, researchers and anyone wanting to get hold of a United Nations publication anywhere in the world,” he said.

In addition to the new pricing policy, the Outreach Division every year sends thousands of free teaching kits, UN educational posters and information material on the activities of the United Nations system free of cost to people worldwide.

For additional information on the new three-tier pricing initiative, please contact Gundega Trumkalne at tel.:  1 212 963 0384, or e-mail:  trumkalne@un.org , or Vlad Vitkovski at tel.:  1 212 963 8065, or e-mail:  vitkovskiv@un.org.

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*     Reissued for technical reasons.

For information media • not an official record