During the past year, much of the work of the Preparatory Committee for the Fiftieth Anniversary has focused on the preparations for the Special Commemorative Meeting of the Assembly on the occasion of the fiftieth anniversary of the entry into force of the Charter of the United Nations, to be held at United Nations Headquarters from 22 to 24 October 1995. The Committee has also continued to monitor the progress of the commemorative programme being undertaken by the Fiftieth Anniversary Secretariat. The Committee is expected to conclude its work by adopting, in early September, as part of its report to the General Assembly, a declaration in support of the Organization on its fiftieth anniversary.
The Fiftieth Anniversary Secretariat, headed by Ms. Gillian Martin Sorensen, has continued to develop and implement an ambitious global commemorative programme of activities and products. The goals identified for the fiftieth anniversary are to promote a more balanced image of the United Nations; to enlarge its constituency of support, especially among youth and non-traditional audiences; to improve worldwide education about the work of the Organization; and to mobilize public support in favour of the United Nations to position it to meet ever-growing demands. In line with these objectives, the Fiftieth Anniversary Secretariat has developed and implemented projects in key programme areas, among which education and communication have been given priority.
Educational activities include the development of educational kits for primary, intermediate and secondary schools and their distribution in all six official languages. Substantial funds have been made available for free distribution in developing countries and translation into additional languages as part of a "Global Teach-In" (a day or a week designated for teaching about the United Nations). In cooperation with UNESCO, workshops on the kits and the Global Teach-In have been conducted at several international education conferences. Other cooperative projects with specialized agencies and programmes have focused on youth and teachers. A "Passport to the Future" has been designed to sign on millions of young persons, between the ages of 7 and 14, as "global citizens". The Passport encourages them to demonstrate their concern for a better future by becoming involved in some of the world's most pressing challenges -- the environment, human rights and peace -- by participating in their local community.
Communications activities have included an international public service campaign through video, radio and print, in the six official languages. The campaign is designed to inform the public of the many achievements of the United Nations system, such as those in the areas of democratization and decolonization, women and development, environment, health, refugees, peace-keeping and food security. The videos, which were produced by directors from eight geographic regions, are appearing worldwide on television and airlines and in schools. The print and radio campaign is being distributed to broadcasters and publications in all Member States. A multimedia exhibit has been provided to Headquarters and regional offices and to headquarters of specialized agencies. Publications include a pictorial history of the United Nations, Visions -- Fifty Years of the United Nations, and a book on the United Nations written by young people for young people, entitled A World in Our Hands.
Emphasis in all programme activity has been on achieving broad participation. As the Fiftieth Anniversary Secretariat was not in a position to implement and publicize all of the activities in each Member State, considerable efforts have been made to encourage and provide support to the fiftieth anniversary committees formed by Member States, local United Nations offices and non-governmental organizations in their implementation of these and other activities. In all, 145 countries have established national committees and are carrying out an impressive array of local commemorative events. The Fiftieth Anniversary Secretariat continues to work in close cooperation with them, providing information materials, guiding and supporting the development of activities at both the local and country levels, and recommending specific activities to complement those being implemented at the global level. Over 40 Member States are honouring the United Nations with commemorative coins and virtually every postal administration is issuing commemorative stamps honouring the Organization.
The Secretariat has also worked with many cities -- including the cities that host our Headquarters offices -- in development of appropriate commemorations, including conferences and colloquiums, concerts, art exhibits and other cultural and popular events. One among many was the myriad of activities organized at San Francisco to commemorate the fiftieth anniversary of the signing of the Charter.
In addition to the public service announcement campaign, the Fiftieth Anniversary Secretariat has continued to develop a wide range of information products, which are being distributed widely to national committees, United Nations information centres, United Nations field offices, permanent missions, United Nations associations, academic groups and international news media, as well as the general public. These products include the UN50 newsletter, an updated press kit, a 16-page information brochure on the fiftieth anniversary, information about the anniversary available through the computer network and a number of information brochures published jointly with the Department of Public Information, along with audio and video compilations.
Overall, the funds required for developing the commemorative programme were secured from private sector support from global sponsors of the fiftieth anniversary as well as from project sponsors. Royalties from the coin programme are providing substantial revenue for educational and communications activities. Additional revenue has been derived from a commemorative watch.
United Nations associations and other non-governmental organizations have supported the fiftieth anniversary effort to broaden public understanding of the work and continued relevance of the United Nations through, among other things, education programmes, conferences and activities aimed at young people, such as art projects, essay competitions and model United Nations programmes. In addition, many of these organizations, especially United Nations associations, actively participate as members of the national committees established for the fiftieth anniversary to arrange commemorative programmes within the Member States. Furthermore, in the context of the Special Commemorative Meeting of the General Assembly for the Fiftieth Anniversary, there are plans to organize a one-day non-governmental organization programme in mid-October to examine the role of non-governmental organizations in the work of the United Nations.
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