The Tenth UN Conference on the Standardization of Geographical Names (UNCSGN) will be held at UN Headquarters in New York on 31 July-9 August

In conjunction with the 10th UNCSGN, the 27th Session of the UN Group of Experts on Geographical Names (UNGEGN) will be held on 30 July-10 August, one day prior and one day after the Tenth United Nations Conference on the Standardization of Geographical Names.

The UNCSGN is held every five years, and UNGEGN meets between the Conferences to follow up the implementation of resolutions adopted and to ensure continuity of activities between Conferences. 

The primary objective of the Conference is to encourage national and international geographical names standardization, to promote the international dissemination of nationally standardized geographical names information, and to adopt single Romanization systems for the conversion of each non-Roman writing system to the Roman alphabet.

For more information:
UN DESA’s Statistics Division

A panel discussion entitled “Cooperatives and the Role of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs)” was arranged on 6 June

The event was hosted by DESA’s Division for Social Policy and Development (DSPD), as part of the 2012 UN International Year of Cooperatives, highlighting the contribution cooperatives make to poverty reduction, employment generation and social integration.

Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) are defined as technologies that facilitate communication and the processing of information by electronic means, and include everything from: radio, satellite, television to telephones, computers and the Internet.

The panel discussion examined the role of ICTs in improving efficiency in the cooperative movement and themes surrounding the impact ICTs have on cooperatives and the challenges associated with ICT implementation.

Ms. Felice Llamas, from DSPD moderated the discussions and said, “ICT’s are transforming co-operatives by expanding the scope of potential networks and deepening existing networks through more consistent communication.” 

For more information:

Cooperatives and the Role of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs)

News story on the website of DSPD

2012 UN International Year of Cooperatives

The 8th working level meeting of the UN Group on the Information Society (UNGIS) took place on 15 May in Geneva

The meeting was chaired by UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) with attendance of representatives from International Telecommunication Union (ITU), UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), UN Development Programme (UNDP), DESA, UN Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE), UN regional economic and social development commission in Western Asia (UN-ESCWA), UNWOMEN, World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), and the World Bank.

The participants reviewed the implementation of the work plan for 2011-2012 and discussed coordination mechanisms to improve the efficiency of UNGIS. The full report and presentation is available on the UNGIS website.

The work plan 2012-2013 was adopted with the focus on coordination, monitoring and facilitation of information sharing and promotion the UN role in building the Information Society.

The next high-level UNGIS meeting will be organized by UNESCO in Paris on 25-27 February 2013. DPADM through DESA was elected the Vice-chair of UNGIS for a second term until December 2013.

For more information:
United Nations Group on the Information Society