United Nations Publications Go Mobile

 

The United Nations announced today the release of United Nations e-book applications for the iPhone and the iPad, as well as e-books for Amazon’s Kindle, that will give users easy access to offline reading and reference on global issues.

The release coincides with the sixty-fifth anniversary of the signing of the United Nations Charter, which marked the birth of the United Nations.

The first United Nations publications available as applications (or “apps”) are United Nations flagship titles such as the Charter of the United Nations, The United Nations Today, and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

The United Nations Today is also now available on Kindle, Amazon’s e-book device.

In the next few days, the United Nations will release at the App Store a free application that highlights the progress towards the Millennium Development Goals.

In the coming weeks more titles will be offered as iPhone and iPad applications. These titles will also be available on Kindle and other e-book platforms, operating systems such as Blackberry, Android and Symbian in the near future.

With this initiative, United Nations Publications expands its role as a prominent source for reference on global issues.

In announcing this development, Kiyo Akasaka, Under-Secretary-General for Communications and Public Information, said that “this initiative will contribute to the wider dissemination of United Nations publications around the world.  It is an important first step forward toward a major revamping of e-publishing activities at the United Nations”.

Available for a nominal fee at the App Store, United Nations e-book apps allow users to take advantage of the advanced capabilities of the iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPad user interface to learn more about the Organization and its work.

Features of the United Nations e-book apps include:  simple user interface; full-text search; intuitive navigation; and links to other United Nations titles.

United Nations Publications brings together over 6,000 titles produced by the Organization and its principal agencies, covering a wide range of topics such as peace and security, humanitarian affairs, women and population, environment, health and urban issues, human rights, law and crime prevention, trade, investment and technology.  It also offers an extensive collection of statistical data and publications in electronic format.

For more information, please visit www.un.org/publications, or contact Vlad Vitkovski, tel.:  +1 212 963 8065, e-mail:  vitkovskiv@un.org.

* *** *

For information media • not an official record