Note to Correspondents

‘ Yokohama Children Peace Messengers’ to Bring City’s Goodwill

during Visit to United Nations Headquarters in New York

 

Two elementary school students and two junior high school students from Japan, chosen as “Yokohama Children Peace Messengers”, today presented a cheque for $140,000 donated by residents of the city of Yokohama, for the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).

A deep history of involvement in a range of international exchange activities, and the city’s activities throughout the International Year of Peace (1986), won Yokohama official recognition by the United Nations as a “ Peace Messenger City” in 1987.  Since then, students are chosen each year through an original peace-related essay contest and designated as Yokohama Children Peace Messengers.  The students travel to New York City, representing the international peace efforts that Yokohama has made throughout the year.

During their week-long stay in New York City, the students will tour the United Nations and on Tuesday, 6 November, meet with Peter Launsky-Tieffenthal, Under-Secretary-General of the Department of Information.  They will also meet with other officials, including the Deputy Executive Director of UNICEF, Yoka Brandt, the Deputy Permanent Representative of Japan to the United Nations, Kazuo Kodama, and the Under-Secretary-General of the Department of Management, Yukio Takasu.

The students will also meet Public Information Officer of the Capital Master Plan, Werner Schmidt, and the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for UNIS, Michael Adlerstein.  In addition, the students will participate in classes at the United Nations International School (UNIS), furthering a long tradition of cooperation between UNIS and the Yokohama Board of Education.  For the first time this year, they will be hosted by UNIS, Queens, as the Manhattan campus remains closed due to the damage caused by Hurricane Sandy.

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For information media • not an official record