Note No. 6439

‘Water for Life Voices’ Exhibition in Support of International Decade Opens at Headquarters, 30 March

An opening ceremony for a multimedia exhibition entitled “Water for Life Voices” will be held at 12:45 p.m. on Monday, 30 March, in the Visitors’ Lobby (Gallery A).  “Water for Life Voices” brings to United Nations Headquarters the testimony of the beneficiaries of water projects and programmes from all over the world.  The voices are categorized into those focusing on progress during the decade, Pride on achievements and Hopes for the future.  Visitors can use embedded QR codes to go beyond the voices and access case studies, thematic texts and videos via their mobile device.

Part of the ceremony will involve the presentation of the 2015 Water for Life Awards to recipient projects.  The theme of the awards this year is Water and Sustainable Development.

A one-minute video on the exhibit and the Awards’ winning projects will be shown at NASDAQ Tower in Times Square, three times every hour on 30 March.

Presented in connection with World Water Day, 22 March, the exhibit is organized by the United Nations Office to Support the International Decade for Action “Water for Life 2005-2015” implementing the UN-Water Programme on Advocacy and Communication and by the United Nations Office for Sustainable Development (both offices are part of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs), as well as by the Ministry of Environment of the Republic of Korea.  The exhibition is endorsed by the Permanent Mission of Tajikistan to the United Nations, the Permanent Mission of Spain to the United Nations and the Permanent Mission of the Republic of Korea to the United Nations.

During the ceremony, remarks will be made by Cristina Gallach, Under-Secretary-General for Communications and Public Information; Sam Kutesa, President of the General Assembly; Khayrullo Ibodzoda, Head of Delegation of Tajikistan, Chair of the Committee of Environment Protection of the Government of Tajikistan; Román Oyarzun Marchesi, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary, Permanent Mission of Spain to the United Nations; Choonghee Hahn, Deputy Permanent Representative of the Republic of Korea to the United Nations; Geeta Rao Gupta, United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Deputy Executive Director; and Michel Jarraud, Secretary-General of the World Meteorological Organization, Chair of UN-Water.

All stakeholders have worked hard during the Water Decade, not only to inform about water issues, but also to develop and coordinate water programs that have improved people’s lives around the world.  “Water for Life Voices” highlights the achievements during the Water for Life Decade 2005-2015 by focusing on the people whose life has improved.  They share their enthusiasm for the changes that water has brought to their family and to their community and explain what else they intend to do to further improve their living conditions.  The exhibit also underscores that more needs to be done to improve people’s daily lives, manage water — which is scarce — control pollution and water degradation and foster water cooperation.

The opening ceremony will take place the same day as the high-level interactive dialogue on the International Decade for Action “Water for Life” 2005-2015 (www.un.org/en/ga/info/meetings/69schedule.shtml).

The opening ceremony takes place at the Visitors’ Lobby, United Nations Headquarters, 405 E. 42nd Street, (46th St. & 1st Ave.) New York, New York, 10017, from 12:45 p.m. to 1:30 p.m., on 30 March.

For queries, please contact the United Nations Office to Support the International Decade for Action “Water for Life” 2005-2015 at tel.: +34 976 72 42 20, Gareth George at e-mail:  decade.gareth@gmail.com, or Monica Garces, at e-mail:  garcessolano@un.org.

For more information on United Nations exhibitions, please contact Renata Morteo at tel.:  +1 212 963 5455, e-mail:  morteo@un.org.

For information media. Not an official record.