PI/1076

DPI TO HOLD MEETING OF UNITED NATIONS INFORMATION CENTRE DIRECTORS AT HEADQUARTERS, 8-11 SEPTEMBER

The programme for the meeting will include briefings and discussions on subjects of crucial importance to UNICs in articulating positions of the United Nations and its Secretary-General. The meeting will also provide an opportunity for the participants to consult with other Secretariat offices with which they maintain working relations.

Secretary-General Kofi Annan is scheduled to meet with participants on Thursday, 10 September. Deputy Secretary-General Louise Fr�chette will address them on the opening day of the meeting, Tuesday, 8 September.

Issues to be discussed at the meeting include United Nations reform and the role of UNICs in the re-orientation of United Nations public information activities, enhancing collaboration with United Nations system partners and the utilization of new information technology. Specific agenda items will cover cooperation with non-governmental organizations; follow-up to major United Nations conferences; support by UNICs for the Secretary-General on his official travels; and cooperation at the field level.

An informal briefing on the work of UNICs for members of the General Assembly's Committee on Information will be held on the afternoon of Wednesday, 9 September. During the meeting sessions, each participant will have the opportunity to brief their colleagues and the staff of the DPI's Information Centres Service on highlights of their activities. The meeting will also present an occasion for them to raise matters of concern.

The following is a list of participants identified by location (all are from UNICs unless otherwise noted):

Athens: Ms. Ingrid Lehmann, Director

Bangkok: Mr. David Lazarus, Chief, United Nations Information Service

Bonn: Mr. Axel Wuestenhagen, Director

Brussels: Ms. Ria Heremans, Officer-in-Charge

Buenos Aires: Mr. Angel Escudero de Paz, Director

Copenhagen: Mr. Jorge Ulate-Segura, Director

Geneva: Ms. Therese Gastaut, Director, United Nations Information Service

Lisbon: Mr. Carlos dos Santos, Director

London: Mr. Ahmad Fawzi, Director

Madrid: Ms. Isel Rivero, Director

Mexico City: Ms. Thelma O'Con-Solorzano, Director

Minsk: Mr. Valeri Tkatchouk, United Nations DPI Representative, United Nations Office

Nairobi: Mr. Tore Brevik, Director

New Delhi: Mr. Feodor Starcevic, Director

Ouagadougou: Mr. Toussaint Kongo-Doudou, Director

Paris: Mr. Hassen Fodha, Director

Prague: Mr. Andreas Nicklisch, Director

Rome: Mr. Staffan de Mistura, Director

Sydney: Mr. Juan Carlos Brandt, Director-designate

Vienna: Ms. Nancy Borman, Officer-in-Charge, United Nations Information Service

Washington: Mr. Joe Sills, Director

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United Nations