For First Time in 29 Years, United Nations Public Information Department Issues New Chinese Edition of Flagship ‘Basic Facts about the United Nations’ Handbook

As Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon travels to China to attend a commemorative event in Beijing marking the seventieth anniversary of the end of the Second World War, the United Nations Department of Public Information has announced that the flagship United Nations handbook, Basic Facts about the United Nations, is being published today in Chinese for the first time in nearly 29 years.  With this new edition of the work, the United Nations seeks to provide more than 1 billion Chinese speakers around the world with the opportunity to learn more about the Organization and its global activities.

The translation was prepared by students and faculty of the Institute of Interpretation and Translation at the Shanghai International Studies University.  The project to produce Basic Facts in Chinese was managed by the Department of Public Information, working in collaboration with the Department for General Assembly and Conference Management.

Cristina Gallach, Under-Secretary-General for Communications and Public Information, welcomed the new publication.  “Multilingualism is a priority for the Department of Public Information,” she said.  “We are continually seeking ways of enhancing our ability to reach as broad an audience as possible, including through partnerships with academic institutions around the world, in order to engage people in our work.”

Ms. Gallach added:  “Shanghai International Studies University has made a wonderful contribution to helping us bring to Chinese readers the story of the United Nations, its main activities and driving concerns, and to marking the seventieth anniversary of the founding of the United Nations.  We are also grateful to the People’s Republic of China for its financial support in making possible an initial print-run of the volume for a distribution that will include libraries in China.”

The Chinese edition of Basic Facts will be available through print-on-demand from United Nations Publications, and further as an e-book.  An electronic version of the volume is also being published online.

Since 1947, Basic Facts about the United Nations has served as a trusted guide to the Organization, including its system of related agencies.  It presents a comprehensive overview of the United Nations’ work in support of international peace and security, economic and social development, human rights, humanitarian action and international law.  Basic Facts also provides information on United Nations membership and structure, as well as current peacekeeping operations.  Basic Facts last appeared in Chinese in 1986.

For more information, please contact John Sebesta, United Nations Department of Public Information, at tel.:  +1 212 963 0405, or e-mail:  sebesta@un.org.