In its continuing efforts to draw attention to important international developments and issues that fall outside the media spotlight, the United Nations Department of Public Information (DPI) has launched a new list of "Ten Stories the World Should Hear More About.

"Our list presents a wide spectrum of matters of concern to many, many people around the world, and we look forward to working with media everywhere to help raise the profile of these stories," said Shashi Tharoor, Under-Secretary-General for Communications and Public Information, during the launch of the 2005 list at UN Headquarters in New York.

As in 2004, when the Ten Stories initiative was inaugurated, the new list includes stories on an array of issues and from several geographical regions. Some of the stories on the list focus on troubling humanitarian emergencies and conflict situations, but they also highlight such vital areas as human rights, health and development.

"We know that journalists can't cover everything," said Mr. Tharoor, "but we feel that people around the world need to know more about these critical stories.

The list has been prepared in consultation with UN offices and programmes, many of which provided their views and ideas on issues they believed would benefit from greater media exposure. As happened last year, the final selection was DPI’s alone. While the stories are ranked from 1 to 10, their ranking is not a reflection of their relative significance.