Note to Correspondents

Exhibit Celebrates 60 Years of Guided Tours at United Nations New York Headquarters

 

An exhibition commemorating the sixtieth anniversary of guided tours opens in the Main Gallery of the Visitors Lobby on Thursday, 15 November, at 5 p.m.  Senior United Nations officials, delegates, civil society and a large number of former and current tour guides will attend the event.

The exhibit features historical photographs and artefacts and offers a comprehensive introduction to the work of the tour guides and of guided tours.

United Nations tour guides have been conducting tours through the New York Headquarters since 2 November 1952.  During these past 60 years, more than 40 million visitors have been introduced to this fascinating centre of world diplomacy.

Tours are offered on a daily basis and visitors have the chance to visit the General Assembly Hall, the Security Council Chamber in its temporary location, see some of the numerous gifts from Member States, as well as a series of exhibits illustrating the work of the Organization on international peace and security, promotion of human rights, and economic and social development.

The United Nations tour guides act as “ambassadors to the public”, as they play an important role providing accurate and timely information about the activities of the United Nations system and help dispel popular misperceptions.  Every morning they are briefed on major world events, conferences held both at Headquarters and away, and on the activities of the various United Nations organs.  Currently, 20 tour guides from around the globe offer up to 70 tours per day in 11 different languages.

To register for a free guided tour on 15 November (9:45 a.m. – 3:45 p.m.) and/or for the exhibit opening, please RSVP here:  http://bit.ly/Evite60th.  Please bring a photo ID.  Entrance will be at 46^th Street and 1^st Avenue.

For more information, please contact Elisabeth Waechter, Chief, Visitors Services, tel: +1 917 367 5485, e-mail: waechter@un.org.

You may also visit one of the following: http://visit.un.org, www.facebook.com/UNVisitorsCentre; on Twitter: @VisitUNFrancesc, @VisitUNKarin, @VisitUNKatya, @VisitUNJuliana and @VisitUNMichael.

For more information on United Nations exhibitions, please contact Renata Morteo at tel: +1 212 963 5455, e-mail: morteo@un.org; or Liza Wichmann at tel: +1 212 963 0089, e-mail: wichmann@un.org; or visit http://visit.un.org.

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For information media • not an official record