Note to Correspondents

From the Lao People’s Democratic Republic to Syria, from Lebanon to Mali the ravages of landmines and explosive remnants of war continue to maim, deform and kill boys and girls, women and men. These devices remain a threat for civilians during conflict and for decades after.

The Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People and the Permanent Observer Mission of the State of Palestine are pleased to announce a special screening of the documentary "Arafat", dedicated to the leadership and legacy of the Palestinian leader whose name has become synonymous with a life-long struggle for the legitimate Palestinian rights.

To mark the first International Day of Happiness, the United Nations Academic Impact of the Department of Public Information will host, on Wednesday, 20 March, a conversation on “Happiness and well-being: Essential for a sustainable future.”

To highlight the significance of 25 March, the International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade, the United Nations will be hosting a week of activities beginning on Monday, 18 March, with arrival of original copies of the Emancipation Proclamation signed by Abraham Lincoln and the Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution. The documents will be on display in the Visitors’ Lobby until 25 March. Admission is free.

The sixth annual commemoration of the International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade will be observed at United Nations Headquarters under the theme "Forever Free — Celebrating Emancipation", from Monday, 18 March to Monday, 25 March.

Heading a list of seven distinguished speakers, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon will make opening remarks at the 2013 UNIS-UN Conference, to be held in the General Assembly Hall at New York Headquarters on 7 and 8 March.

A panel discussion featuring perspectives on governance will be held on Tuesday, 5 March, at 1:15 p.m. in Conference Room 6 of the North Lawn Building. Organized by the United Nations Academic Impact initiative of the Department of Public Information, the programme coincides with the release of "The Governance Report 2013", prepared by a team of experts associated with the Hertie School of Governance in Berlin, Germany.

The United Nations Academic Impact will host a debate on the correlation between governance and development on Monday, 4 February, from 5 to 6 p.m. in the Dag Hammarskjöld Library Auditorium.

A multimedia exhibition focusing on United Nations support for Libya’s post-conflict transition opens in the main gallery of the Visitors’ Lobby at the world body’s New York Headquarters on Tuesday, 29 January, at 6 p.m.

Two exhibitions will open to the public in the Visitors Lobby at United Nations Headquarters on Tuesday, 22 January, as part of a week-long series of remembrance activities leading up to the International Day of Commemoration in Memory of the Victims of the Holocaust, 27 January, and in line with the theme of this year’s observance, “Rescue during the Holocaust: The Courage to Care”.