United Nations Information Centres (UNICs) are the filed offices Department of Global Communications of the UN Secretariat. They are the principle sources of information about the United Nations system in the countries where they are located. UNICs are responsible for promoting greater public understanding of and support for the aims and activities of the United Nations. There are 60 field offices covering 139 countries around the world.
History In 1946, the United Nations Information Centres were established by the Department of Global Communications. The first two United Nations Information Centers were created in 1946.
Scope United Nations Information Centres have been established in the regions of Europe, Americas, UAE, Asia & Pacific, and Africa. These centres are organized to reduce the communication gaps by providing information of United Nations to the people of the world. To make it more communicable all information have been translated and presented respectively in their regional languages. These centres are otherwise called United Nations Regional Information Centres and responsible for connecting United Nations with the people of developing countries. They reach out media, institutions with coordinating the UN system and get allianced with Government, Non-government, and private sector organizations in their projects. UNICs also maintain physical & digital resources of information like libraries and electronic information medium.
Activities UNICs are engaged in multiple cores of activities for sharing the latest information about UN system.
Communication - UNICs follow communication strategies through the current affairs, traditional festivals, and events. They get information translated into regional languages of the countries they serve. Media Outreach - United Nations get connected with national & regional media houses to circulate information. These centres use press conference, print media, electronic and digital medium to collaborate information. Information Resource Development - These centres create & maintain resources like libraries, and websites through regional information centres. UNICs activities cover training sessions for journalist to keep them update with its development projects. They regularly conduct television and radio for broadcasting stories of UN in regional languages. Events Organization - These centres organize many events on international & national celebration days. Besides, they manage to arrange seminars, sports & other competitions in educational institutions.
List of centres The following are all of the current information centres, as well as all the areas they serve:
African States Centre Established Areas serviced Director UNIC Accra 1958 Sylvia Lopez-Ekra UNIC Antananarivo 1963 Violet Kakyomya UNO Asmara 1993 Susan Ngongi UNIC Brazzaville 1983 Anthony Ohemeng-Boamah UNIC Bujumbura 1961 Garry Conille UNIC Dakar 1964 Damian Cardona Onses UNIC Dar es Salaam 1961 Alvaro Rodriguez UNIC Harare 1982 Bishow Parajuli UNIC Lagos 1967 Ronald Kayanja UNIC Lome 1962 Damien Mama UNIC Lusaka 1975 Janet Rogan UNIC Nairobi 1974 Nasser Ega-Musa UNIC Ouagadougou 1982 Metsi Makhetha UNIC Pretoria 1995 Masimba Tafirenyika UNIC Windhoek 1992 Rachel Odede UNIC Yaounde 1965 Allegra Maria Del Pilar Baiocchi
American States Centre Established Areas serviced Director UNIC Asuncion 1962 Jorge Meza UNIC Bogota 1954 Helene Papper UNIC Buenos Aires 1948 Tamar Hahn UNIC La Paz 1963 Mauricio Ramirez-Villegas UNIC Lima 1960 Maria del Carmen Sacasa UNIC Mexico City 1947 Giancarlo Summa UNIC Panama City 1984 Harold Robinson UNIC Port of Spain 1962 Countries:Other areas: Juan Miguel Diez UNIC Rio de Janeiro 1947 Maurizio Giuliano UNIC Washington 1946 Robert Skinner
Arab States Centre Established Areas serviced Director UNIC Algiers 1963 Eric Overvest UNIC Beirut 1962 Marguerite El Helou UNIC Cairo 1949 Radhia Achouri UNIC Khartoum 1963 Gwi-Yeop Son UNIC Manama 1977 Samir Al-Darabi UNIC Rabat 1962 Fethi Debbabi (Acting Director) UNIC Sana'a 1994 Lise Grande UNIC Tunis 1960 Diego Zorrilla
Asia and Pacific States Centre Established Areas serviced Director UNIC Canberra 1948 Christopher Woodthorpe UNIC Colombo 1961 Hanaa Singer UNIC Dhaka 1981 Mia Seppo UNIC Islamabad 1951 Vlastimil Samek (Acting Director) UNIC Jakarta 1985 Francyne Harrigan (Acting Director) UNIC Kathmandu 1964 Sara Beysolow Nyanti UNIC Manila 1953 Ola Almgren UNIC New Delhi 1947 Rajiv Chandran (National Information Officer) UNIC Tehran 1950 Maria Dotsenko UNIC Tokyo 1958 Kaoru Nemoto UNIC Yangon 1959 Knut Ostby
Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States Centre Established Areas serviced Director UNO Almaty 1993 Abdurahim Muhidov (Officer-in-Charge) UNIC Ankara 1975 Irena Vojačkova-Sollorano UNO Baku 1992 Ghulam Isaczai UNRIC Brussels 2004 Countries:Other areas served: Deborah Seward UNIS Geneva 1947 Alessandra Vellucci UNO Kyiv 1992 Osnat Lubrani UNO Minsk 1992 Joanna Kazana UNIC Moscow 1948 Vladimir Kuznetsov UNIC Prague 1947 Michal Broza (Officer-in-Charge) UNO Tashkent 1992 Helena Fraser UNO Tbilisi 1992 Vinton Louisa UNIS Vienna 1984 Martin Nesirky UNIC Warsaw 1995 Mariola Ratschka (Officer-in-Charge) UNO Yerevan 1992 Shombi Sharp
References
External links United Nations Information Centres United Nations United Nations Information Centre Washington