UNITED NATIONS E
Economic and Social Distr. GENERAL Council E/CN.4/2003/99 6 January 2003
Original: ENGLISH
COMMISSION ON HUMAN RIGHTS Fifty-ninth session Item 17 (c) of the provisional agenda
PROMOTION AND PROTECTION OF HUMAN RIGHTS: INFORMATION AND EDUCATION
Public information activities in the field of human rights, including the World Public Information Campaign on Human Rights
Report of the Secretary-General
GE.03-10074 (E) 310103 E/CN.4/2003/99 page 2
CONTENTS
Paragraphs Page
Introduction ...... 1 - 5 3
I. PUBLIC INFORMATION ACTIVITIES OF THE OFFICE OF THE HIGH COMMISSIONER FOR HUMAN RIGHTS ...... 6 - 31 3
A. Publications programme ...... 6 - 17 3
B. Use of electronic means ...... 18 - 21 5
C. Media liaison ...... 22 - 23 6
D. External relations programmes ...... 24 - 30 6
E. World Conference against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance ...... 31 7
II. DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC INFORMATION ...... 32 - 93 7
A. Activities to promote the World Conference against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance ...... 63 - 70 14
B. Activities of the United Nations information service at the United Nations Office at Geneva ...... 71 - 84 15
C. Activities of other United Nations information centres and services and United Nations offices ...... 85 - 93 17
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Introduction
1. In its resolution 2001/63, the Commission on Human Rights requested the Secretary-General to submit to the Commission, at its fifty-ninth session, a report on public information activities, with special emphasis on the activities relating to the World Public Information Campaign.
2. The World Public Information Campaign on Human Rights was launched by the General Assembly in its resolution 43/128 of 8 December 1988, with the objectives of increasing understanding and awareness of human rights and fundamental freedoms and educating the public on the international machinery available for the promotion and protection of those rights and freedoms and the efforts of the United Nations to realize them.
3. The coordination of the United Nations education and public information programmes in the field of human rights was specifically mentioned in General Assembly resolution 48/141 of 20 December 1993, as part of the mandate of the post of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights.
4. The High Commissioner for Human Rights has repeatedly stressed the importance he attaches to the implementation of activities for increasing awareness of human rights among the general public. To meet this objective he has announced the establishment of an External Relations Branch within the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR).
5. The present report supplements information and estimates provided in the Secretary-General’s last report to the General Assembly (A/56/271). Additional information about other educational activities in the field of human rights undertaken within the framework of the United Nations Decade for Human Rights Education, 1995-2004, is available in the relevant report of the High Commissioner to the Commission (E/CN.4/2003/100).
I. PUBLIC INFORMATION ACTIVITIES OF THE OFFICE OF THE HIGH COMMISSIONER FOR HUMAN RIGHTS
A. Publications programme
6. The OHCHR publications programme focuses on basic publications such as fact sheets, training and educational material, special issue papers, reference material and promotional material with improved quality and multi-language availability. It is developed and managed in parallel with the OHCHR web site as part of a comprehensive public information strategy.
7. The budget for the 2002-2003 biennium for external printing publications and for the upgrading of the Internet site is US$ 170,400. The publications programme of OHCHR is being restructured to respond to the increasing need for human rights information.
8. Since the last report of the Secretary-General to the General Assembly (A/56/271), the demand for OHCHR publications has increased considerably. During the reporting period,
E/CN.4/2003/99 page 4 the Office distributed more than 120,000 copies of human rights publications, in addition to the 2,600 copies of each publication distributed by the Distribution Section of the United Nations Office at Geneva to the mailing list established jointly by the Distribution Section and OHCHR. OHCHR has also substantially increased the electronic dissemination of its publications.
1. Fact sheets
9. The Fact Sheet Series consists of booklets directed to the general public providing easy-to-read information on United Nations activities in the field of human rights. All Fact Sheets are available on the OHCHR web site, thereby contributing to their dissemination and a reduction in print runs and a rationalization of costs.
10. In the reporting period, Fact Sheet No. 28, The Impact of Mercenary Activities on the Right of Peoples to Self-Determination, was published in all official languages. Two Fact Sheets were revised: No. 4/Rev.1, Combating Torture, which is now available in Arabic and English, and No. 7/Rev.1, Complaint Procedures, available in English. Translations into other official languages have been requested for both revisions.
2. Training and educational material
11. The OHCHR Guide Series was launched in 2001 with the United Nations Guide for Indigenous Peoples in English, French, Russian and Spanish. The second publication in the series, United Nations Guide for Minorities, was published in all official languages.
12. The Professional Training Series is designed primarily to support the training activities of OHCHR programme of advisory services and technical assistance and to serve as a practical tool for organizations providing human rights education to professional groups. During the period under review, No. 7 of the Series, Training Manual on Human Rights Monitoring, was translated into French and Arabic and both versions are, for the time being, available only in electronic form on the OHCHR web site; translations into other official languages are not envisaged, owing to lack of funds. No. 8 of the Series, The Istanbul Protocol, was published in all official languages. No. 9 of the Series, A Manual on Human Rights for Judges, Prosecutors and Lawyers, was published in English; translations into other official languages are not envisaged, owing to lack of funds. No. 10 of the Series, Handbook on National Human Rights Plans of Action, was published in English and, owing to the need for regular updating, it is available in English and online only.
3. Special issue papers
13. During the period under review, the following publications were issued: Gender Dimensions of Racial Discrimination (in English); Human Rights and the Environment (published jointly with the United Nations Environment Programme in English); HIV/AIDS and Human Rights - International Guidelines (published jointly with the World Health Organization in all official languages); Human Rights and Disability (in English); the publication is being translated into French and Spanish, while translations into other official languages are not E/CN.4/2003/99 page 5 envisaged, owing to lack of funds; Recommended Principles on Human Rights and Human Trafficking (in English, French and Spanish and is being translated into other official languages); and Abolishing Slavery in All its Forms (in English and is being translated into all official languages).
14. OHCHR also published jointly with the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-HABITAT) in English: Housing Rights Legislation, United Nations Housing Rights Programme, Report No. 1.
4. Reference material
15. A revised edition of the English version of volume I of OHCHR flagship publication, A Compilation of International Instruments: Universal Instruments, with a foreword by the Secretary-General, is currently being printed. High priority is being given to its preparation in all official languages.
16. The English version of volume 3 of Selected Decisions of the Human Rights Committee under the Optional Protocol has been published and is being translated into French, Spanish and Russian.
5. Promotional material
17. A major development in 2002 was the publication of two illustrated promotional booklets. OHCHR, an introduction to the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, was published in English, translated into all official languages and is being printed in French and Spanish. ACT Project: Assisting Communities Together, an account of partnerships between the United Nations and local human rights constituencies, was published in English, French and Spanish.
B. Use of electronic means
18. OHCHR has continued to expand the content of its web site in order to reach out to a wider audience. Users may access online new sections with information on approximately 20 human rights subjects. The issues covered include democracy, HIV/AIDS, the environment, human rights in development, adequate housing and indigenous peoples.
19. The Office is committed to making the contents of its web site available to all, including those with disabilities. In this connection, OHCHR has designed several web pages in accordance with international accessibility recommendations.
20. Understanding that multilingual development is a key to delivering the human rights message, OHCHR has initiated direct links from its web site to Arabic, Chinese and Russian full-text documents stored in the Official Documents System of the United Nations.
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21. The Office has used the Internet to provide audio archives and documentation on the annual sessions of the Commission on Human Rights, as well as the Sub-Commission on the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights. The main event of 2001, the World Conference against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance was covered live from South Africa in partnership with the Department of Public Information.
C. Media liaison
22. The Office has continued to strengthen its capacity to communicate the human rights message. OHCHR staff responsible for media liaison brief the international press regularly on the activities of the Office and on the human rights programme in general. The media liaison staff is also responsible for drafting press statements on behalf of the Office or the High Commissioner; organizing interviews and media appearances by the High Commissioner; assisting the special procedures mechanisms and the treaty bodies with their media liaison needs; and the drafting and placing of opinion pieces and other articles in major international publications.
23. In 2001, in connection with the World Conference against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance, OHCHR commissioned a 30-second television spot which was broadcast on leading television networks worldwide. A video of the concert Geneva United Against Racism was produced and broadcast on seven television networks. An article by the High Commissioner for Human Rights, entitled “A new century for human rights”, was published in more than 40 newspapers on Human Rights Day in 2001.
D. External relations programmes
1. Briefings
24. OHCHR regularly organizes briefings for students, diplomats, journalists, public officials, academics, professors and non-governmental organizations. It also provides lecturers for briefings organized by the Department of Public Information. A total of 84 such briefings were delivered by OHCHR staff during the reporting period.
2. Exhibitions and human rights observances
25. Since the last report to the General Assembly, OHCHR organized two exhibits: from 21 to 30 November 2001 the exhibit “Carnets de Phnom Penh et d’ailleurs” was displayed in the Palais Wilson; from 15 to 22 November 2002, on the occasion of the thirteenth anniversary of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, the non-governmental organization Casa Alianza displayed in Palais Wilson an exhibit on its activities in favour of street children in Latin America. OHCHR also contributed to the exhibit “Genève: un lieu pour la paix”, which was organized by the Société Henry Dunant and the Fondation pour Genève and displayed from 23 October to 9 November 2001.
26. Since the last report to the General Assembly, OHCHR participated in the organization of the United Nations Open Doors Day on 27 and 28 October 2001, and observed the World AIDS Day in 2001, the United Nations Day for Women’s Rights and International Peace, the E/CN.4/2003/99 page 7
International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, the World Health Day, the International Day in Support of Victims of Torture, the International Day of the World’s Indigenous People and the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty in 2002. In 2001, Human Rights Day was devoted to a first stocktaking of activities and plans for follow-up to the World Conference against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance. The following activities were organized on that day in the Palais Wilson: an OHCHR presentation on anti-discrimination priorities, policies and plans for 2002; a panel on refugees and migrants; the live broadcast of the award ceremony of the Nobel Peace Prize to the Secretary-General and the United Nations; and the display of the video of the concert against racism, organized by OHCHR in Geneva in June 2001.
27. As a contribution to the World Conference against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance, the concert Geneva United Against Racism was organized by OHCHR in Geneva on 1 June 2001 and attended by more than 30,000 people.
3. Internship programme
28. During the reporting period, OHCHR, participating in the United Nations internship programme, offered internships to 153 graduate students to enable them to gain first-hand knowledge of United Nations actions and procedures in the field of human rights.
29. Internships are awarded without financial commitment of any kind on the part of OHCHR or the United Nations bodies. Given the urgent need for funding interns from developing countries, the then High Commissioner for Human Rights, Mary Robinson, allocated US$ 8,985 for this purpose.
4. Training courses and other technical cooperation activities with a public information element
30. An account of the training courses, seminars and workshops organized by OHCHR is given in the annual report of the Secretary-General to the Commission on Human Rights on advisory services and technical cooperation in the field of human rights (E/CN.4/2003/112).
E. World Conference against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance
31. An account of the public information and external relations activities relating to the World Conference against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance is given in the report of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights to the Commission on the implementation of the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action (E/CN.4/2003/18).
II. DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC INFORMATION
32. The Department of Public Information (DPI) continued to initiate and coordinate activities within the framework of the World Public Information Campaign and the
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United Nations Decade for Human Rights Education, 1995-2004. This work was also carried out within the framework of three other ongoing decades: the Third Decade to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination, 1993-2003; the International Decade of the World’s Indigenous People, 1995-2004; and the First United Nations Decade for the Eradication of Poverty, 1997-2006.
33. DPI carried out information programmes in such related areas as economic, cultural and social rights, the rights of specific groups, and other major issues such as the question of Palestine, decolonization, the advancement of women and the International Criminal Court.
34. The Department’s coverage of United Nations human rights activities, as well as worldwide distribution of relevant human rights information materials, was ensured through a multimedia approach, which included the production of printed materials regarding United Nations work in the field of human rights; making material available on the United Nations web site; radio and television programmes, press conferences, press briefings and special events; exhibits; special media outreach activities and activities with educational and non-governmental organizations; and public services for visitors and people with queries. Information materials were produced in the six official languages of the United Nations and disseminated worldwide, including through the network of the United Nations information centres (UNICs), services (UNISs) and offices based in 77 countries throughout the world. Many were adapted into local languages by UNICs/UNISs.
35. Press releases covering United Nations meetings and activities on human rights issues were produced and distributed in English and French in hard copy and electronically to the network of information centres and services. Of these, some 350 were generated from United Nations Headquarters in New York and more than 1,740 from the Geneva UNIS. These press releases are primarily intended for the media and delegations, as well as for other audiences, including government officials, NGOs and academia. The press releases were also posted on the United Nations web site, which, as of November 2002, averaged 6.8 million hits per day.
36. The human rights site on the Internet (www.un.org/rights) is directly accessible from the main pages of the United Nations web site (www.un.org), which is updated and maintained by DPI in most of the official languages. Comprehensive information on human rights and important links to other human rights material on the web are also accessible from the main web page, under the rubric “Issues on the UN Agenda”. The human rights section here contains key documents, United Nations system calendar of events, statements on human rights by the Secretary-General and Deputy Secretary-General, links to the Commission on Human Rights and the Sub-Commission on the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights, information on partnerships with NGOs on human rights, as well as a photo collection depicting 50 years of United Nations human rights activities. The web site also maintains links with web sites of United Nations entities dealing with human rights issues, including the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM), The Department of Economic and Social Affairs, DPI, the United Nations Development Programme, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the World Health Organization, the World Bank and the Special Representative of E/CN.4/2003/99 page 9 the Secretary-General for Children in Armed Conflict. The United Nations works web site (www.un.org/works) features stories on the impact on real people of the United Nations human rights work and links to related human rights web sites.
37. Through the United Nations News Service on the Web (www.un.org/news) and its print version, the Daily Highlights, DPI provided regular coverage of human rights-related stories, including the work of the United Nations human rights bodies as well as the activities of and statements by the High Commissioner for Human Rights. The news web site is updated several times a day by DPI.
38. The CyberSchoolBus, an online site for young people and educators, created and maintained by DPI (www.un.org/CyberSchoolBus), contains student briefing papers on various topics, including human rights. The special section on “Human Rights in Action” contains the complete text of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, as well as a “plain language” version and a question and answer section.
39. The Yearbook of the United Nations, published each year by DPI, devotes a separate three-chapter section to human rights questions in each volume, covering the work of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, intergovernmental bodies, special rapporteurs and special representatives and experts dealing with human rights issues, as well as related action by the United Nations Secretary-General, the General Assembly and the Economic and Social Council. The Yearbook is a sales publication with a print run of 3,500 copies, of which 900 are given free to Governments, senior United Nations officials and depository libraries.
40. The DPI publication, Africa Recovery, carried more than 30 articles relating to human rights in Africa on such topics as children’s rights and human rights aspects of the HIV/AIDS crisis in Africa. Other articles featured efforts for gender equality, land rights in Kenya and the speech of the High Commissioner for Human Rights in Ethiopia affirming that human rights in Africa are inseparable from the continent’s right to development. The New Partnership for Africa’s Development, which places a high priority on human rights, also featured prominently in the magazine’s coverage. Africa Recovery is issued about four times a year, with a print run of about 23,000 copies in English and 9,000 in French. Slightly half of these go to readers in Africa, and the rest are distributed primarily to Europe, Asia and the United States. The publication is highly regarded across the spectrum of its recipients, which include the media, NGOs, academics, humanitarian aid agencies, United Nations system personnel, African policy makers and opinion shapers, economists and other experts on Africa. DPI also maintains the Africa Recovery web site, in English and French (www.un.org/ecosocdev/geninfo/afrec/).
41. The magazine UN Chronicle, was issued 4 times a year in English and French, and, since the beginning of 2002, also in Arabic, Chinese, Russian and Spanish in print editions, and in English and French online. A number of articles appeared which were devoted to human rights, including 5 articles in Issue 1, 2001, as well as an article by Miloon Kothari, Special Rapporteur on the right to adequate housing. Special features relating to terrorism and to the global food situation, including a discussion on food as a human right, were addressed in Issue 4, 2001 in an article entitled “The Security Council, human rights and humanitarian issues” by
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Bertrand Ramcharan, Assistant Secretary-General and Deputy United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. Issue 1, 2002, included special features on Afghanistan, including in the context of the rights of Afghan women. Issue 2, 2002, included an article entitled “Satisfaction, regret and hope” by Sir Nigel Rodley, former member of the Human Rights Committee, who also served as Special Rapporteur on the question of Torture.
42. Dissemination of human rights publications is enhanced through the promotional activities of the Sales and Marketing Section of DPI. Publications have been featured in exhibits at professional conferences, as well as in advertisements in journals such as the Human Rights Quarterly, and included in catalogues and other brochures. Catalogues and flyers are sent to academics, institutions, NGOs and interested members of the public, and review copies are sent to journals and magazines. As new publications are released they are also featured on the United Nations publications web site and posted as listings with commercial Internet sites, such as Amazon.com and Barnesandnoble.com. In addition, the United Nations Bookshop maintains a large section devoted to human rights issues where it promotes titles of both United Nations and other commercial and non-profit publishers.
43. DPI television, photo and radio activities relating to human rights included regular coverage of statements before the General Assembly and other intergovernmental bodies by the Secretary-General and the High Commissioner for Human Rights. UNTV also produced and distributed worldwide the Secretary-General’s statement on Human Rights Day and distributed a video message by the High Commissioner. UNTV and UNPHOTO also provided coverage of press conferences, including those by the High Commissioner, as well as special events organized at Headquarters on the subject of human rights. UNTV and UNPHOTO products are sent to news redisseminators, such as Associated Press and AP TV, Reuters and Reuters TV, Agence France Press, etc. Coverage is provided with due regard to meeting the deadlines of DPI news and broadcast clients around the world.
44. World Chronicle TV programmes are distributed to a number of English-speaking countries, such as the United States, where a large audience is exposed to United Nations issues and activities. During the period under review, two World Chronicle TV programmes were produced on human rights issues, including one interview with the High Commissioner for Human Rights and another with Asma Jahangir, Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions.
45. The UNTV series in five languages, UN in Action, which is distributed to broadcasters in more than 100 countries and is shown on the weekly programme CNN World Report, produced four human rights stories. A shorter version was also shown on the CNN World Report. A special seven-minute video on the human rights of the women of Afghanistan was also produced in connection with the observance of International Women’s Day on 8 March 2002.
46. Through its partner networks in all regions of the world, UN Radio news reaches tens of millions of listeners. Throughout the reporting period, UN Radio continued to provide extensive coverage on a wide range of issues and activities concerning the World Conference against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance, held in Durban, E/CN.4/2003/99 page 11
South Africa, including the work of the Commission on Human Rights and the regional preparatory meetings such as the ones held in Tehran and Dakar. For the World Conference itself, UN Radio officers filed in the six official languages on-site daily reports for the duration of the conference, including numerous interviews with United Nations officials as well as with representatives of participating NGOs. Both the reports and interviews were incorporated into the daily broadcasts in all languages. All news coverage activities were featured on the daily broadcasts in Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Portuguese, Russian and Spanish, and posted on UN Radio’s web pages. The programmes were also distributed through arrangements with partner stations and networks worldwide via satellite, electronic line transfer, short wave (Africa and the Middle East) or telephone feed.
47. In addition to news items, UN Radio produced more than 80 magazine/feature programmes for regional and worldwide dissemination in Arabic, Bangla, Chinese, Dutch, English, French, Hindi, Indonesian, Kiswahili, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Turkish and Urdu. Some of the topics featured included: “Life in the occupied Palestinian territories”; “New guidelines for protecting the world’s 20 million internally displaced persons”; “The UN’s efforts to secure the rights of women”; “The international community to protect religious sites”; “A new bill on property rights for women in Nepal”; “Human rights for food”; “a campaign against sex trade and human trafficking”; “The plight of refugees”; “Breaking the bonds of forced labour” and more.
48. Activities in observance of special days were organized by DPI at Headquarters and by UNICs and UNISs around the world, including for the International Day in Support of Victims of Torture (26 June), International Day of the World’s Indigenous People (9 August), International Women’s Day (8 March), International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (21 March), International Day of Tolerance (16 November) and Human Rights Day (10 December). In addition, special events were organized to observe commemorative days on themes relating to human rights, including the International Women’s Day (8 March), World Press Freedom Day (1 May) and World AIDS Day (1 December).
49. In New York, DPI provided media outreach, prepared press materials and arranged press conferences for the Human Rights Day 2001 observance focusing on the signing ceremony, organized by DPI and the Division for the Advancement of Women, for the new Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women. The Secretary-General subsequently opened a special panel discussion on the Optional Protocol. A special web page was created for the occasion. Human Rights Day special events in New York began with a press conference given by Goodwill Ambassador Ruben Blades. As part of the observance, the World Conference was highlighted as South African performers from the Broadway show Kat and the Kings discussed their experiences growing up under apartheid with students attending the annual Student Conference on Human Rights.
50. Also on Human Rights Day 2001, a televised forum entitled “News vs. Propaganda: the gatekeeper’s dilemma”, focused on media coverage as it relates to the United Nations agenda for human rights and its forward-looking role in promoting tolerance and respect for diversity. Featured speakers included the High Commissioner for Human Rights and the Special
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Representative of the Secretary-General for Afghanistan. The forum was moderated by the Under-Secretary-General for Communications and Public Information before an audience of more than 600 journalists, NGO representatives, diplomats, staff and others.
51. The Dag Hammarskjöld Library observed Human Rights Day by creating a special page on the United Nations Internet site for the occasion, with links to relevant resources on the subject. Certain United Nations depository libraries, such as Victoria University of Wellington (New Zealand) and Abo Akademi University (Finland) use United Nations material as textbooks for courses on human rights.
52. On the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination in March 2001, DPI organized a special event co-hosted by Music Television (MTV) with the participation of the Secretary-General and, by a live video link, the High Commissioner for Human Rights and some 400 teenagers. In its daily broadcasts, UN Radio covered this event in the six official languages and in Portuguese. These programmes featured the messages of Kofi Annan and Mary Robinson, as well as the voices of young participants, to combat racism and promote tolerance in their lives.
53. The Chairperson of the Human Rights Committee was among the speakers featured at the televised event entitled Bringing Durban Home: Implementing the United Nations Anti-Discrimination Agenda, which was organized by DPI in observance of the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination in 2002. Advocating for a World Fit for Children: From Commitment to Action, was another televised event organized as a follow-up to the United Nations General Assembly special session on children.
54. Afghan Women Today: Realities and Opportunities was a televised forum in observance of International Women’s Day on 8 March 2002, which was moderated by the Under-Secretary-General for Communications and Public Information before a live audience of about 600 people. Speakers included the Secretary-General; the President of the Security Council; the First Lady of the United States; and the Assistant Secretary-General, Special Adviser on Gender Issues and Advancement of Women, among others.
55. The International Day of the World’s Indigenous People was observed at Headquarters on 9 and 10 August 2001 with a ceremony and two days of workshops attended by approximately 600 participants, including indigenous people from around the world. On 9 August 2002, an event to observe the Day was staged in the United Nations Headquarters Public Lobby, which included performances by a Hawaiian dance troupe and a native American drum group.
56. For the first session of the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, 13-24 May 2002, DPI provided press, photographic and television coverage for the opening and closing sessions, organized press conferences, and covered several side events, particularly those involving the High Commissioner for Human Rights. Press releases were provided throughout for posting on the web site of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights. A briefing, entitled Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues: Towards the First Session in May 2002, featured among its speakers the Deputy Director, New York Office, Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights. E/CN.4/2003/99 page 13
57. A design, based on the poster for the International Decade of the World’s Indigenous People, was provided for the United Nations Guide for Indigenous Peoples, a publication of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights in Geneva.
58. Issues relating to the promotion and protection of human rights were highlighted throughout the reporting period at the weekly DPI/NGO briefings and at the annual DPI/NGO conferences, organized by the DPI at United Nations Headquarters. Among the topics addressed by the briefings were: New Approaches to Human Rights Education; Youth Combating Racism, a briefing organized in observance of the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination; and Fighting Racism and Promoting Diversity: The Role of the Free Press, organized by DPI in observance of the World Press Freedom Day, which featured the Secretary-General as one of its speakers. The Director of the New York Office, Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, was a speaker at a special event, entitled Review of the Outcome of the World Conference against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance.
59. At the fifty-fifth DPI/NGO annual conference on the theme “Rebuilding societies emerging from conflict: a shared responsibility”, held from 9 to 11 September 2002, issues of promotion of human rights and human rights education in post-conflict societies were addressed, in particular by Mary Robinson in her last keynote address, in her capacity as High Commissioner for Human Rights, at the opening session. More than 2,000 participants took part in the conference.
60. During the reporting period, the Public Services Section organized 84 briefings on human rights, reaching a total audience of 4,560 people. These briefings covered human rights in general (65), racism (5), the rights of the child (9) and the status of women (5). In addition, in observance of Human Rights Day in December 2001, the Section organized a student conference on human rights for the fourth year in a row, in collaboration with several NGO partners and educational foundations. Given the difficulties and uncertainties regarding travel in the months immediately after the events of 11 September 2001, the conference was held as a video-conference, with a representative group of students participating at United Nations Headquarters and the rest at sites in Canada, Egypt, Mexico, Switzerland and several locations in the United States.
61. Human rights was also an issue frequently addressed in the course of the guided tour of United Nations Headquarters, and is the subject of numerous queries and petitions received by the Public Inquiries Unit. During the period in question, the Unit responded to 3,132 queries on human rights and received 247 petitions about a variety of human rights concerns.
62. In 2001 and 2002, a total of 25 participants in the DPI Training Programme for Broadcasters and Journalists from Developing Countries were briefed on “The United Nations and human rights” by a representative of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights. Participants in both sessions also paid visits to Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International and the Committee to Protect Journalists, where they were briefed by representatives of those organizations, and attended an advanced media workshop at Columbia University, which included a briefing on “Human rights and the media”.
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A. Activities to promote the World Conference against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance
63. A global promotional and information campaign to promote the World Conference against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance was developed and implemented by DPI in close cooperation with the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights. The aim of the campaign was to raise public awareness about the Conference and the work of the United Nations in the fight against racism and related issues, and to mobilize political support with a view to encouraging the highest level of participation at the World Conference. The campaign targeted a global audience, in particular non-governmental organizations and individuals involved in the struggle against racism and related intolerance, as well as opinion makers, such as editorial writers and others in the media.
64. A special effort was made to reach young people, in particular through the use of new information technologies and by enlisting the assistance of entertainers and sports stars. IDP activities included using television, radio, print and the Internet to develop programmes for the media, non-governmental organizations, schools and the general public and using the outreach capacities of the United Nations information centres, services and offices based in 77 countries. The information campaign comprised information products for dissemination in various formats via print, radio, video and the Internet; the use of interactive web sites, chat rooms and other electronic technologies; encounters with journalists, press briefings and other activities for the media; news coverage of the preparatory activities; activities with non-governmental organizations, schools and other academic organizations; and special promotional activities involving the United Nations Goodwill Ambassadors for the World Conference and other international celebrities.
65. Special events, press conferences, interviews and proactive media outreach undertaken by DPI to promote the World Conference resulted in thousands of articles being written both in print and on the web as well as television and radio coverage.
66. Several op-eds were prepared and placed worldwide by DPI headquarters and UNICs. The three sessions of the Preparatory Committee and regional preparatory meetings were publicized, and public information material was disseminated worldwide prior to the sessions. DPI staff also covered the meetings and provided daily reports.
67. The DPI also organized programmes to facilitate coverage of the World Conference and its Preparatory Committees by journalists. DPI staff serviced the Conference itself with more than 1,000 media accredited, through daily press briefings, meeting coverage, press conferences and interviews to journalists as well as radio, TV and web coverage. A senior DPI staff member served as spokesperson for the Conference.
68. At the Conference venue itself, DPI organized two youth art exhibits one with art work from children who participated in an art contest; the other with hundreds of pledges against racism, discrimination and intolerance, part of a campaign which gathered more than a million signatures worldwide, and pledges continue to be received, one year later.
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69. In Durban, South Africa, DPI mounted an out-of-home billboard campaign under the United Nations Works programme on the theme “What colour are you?”. United Nations Works also produced radio public service advertisements with celebrities such as American actor Danny Glover to publicize United Nations activities against racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and intolerance.
70. Special print information products were produced in the official languages of the United Nations and distributed worldwide through UNICs, which also translated them into local languages. TV and radio products, including public service announcements, documentaries and interview programmes were produced both at Headquarters and by several UNICs and were broadcast worldwide, and co-productions with local stations were undertaken by UNICs to promote the World Conference. A web site was designed and maintained to promote and cover the Conference. It contained all the promotional and information materials as well as original content, coverage of the Conference and webcast programmes.
B. Activities of the United Nations information service at the United Nations Office at Geneva
71. The United Nations Information Service at the United Nations Office at Geneva (UNOG) bears a special responsibility for promoting human rights, given its close proximity to OHCHR and consequent involvement in the work of OHCHR, the Commission on Human Rights, the Sub-Commission on the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights and the majority of the sessions of the six human rights treaty bodies meeting in Geneva. The Service continues to provide on a sustained basis in-depth support for all aspects of the human rights programme. This includes issuing press releases on human rights matters and, in particular, providing English- and French-language press coverage of their meetings; providing radio and television coverage of the above-mentioned bodies; the holding of regular briefings by the UNIS director and the Media and Information Officer of OHCHR for the Geneva-based press; and organizing briefings for NGOs, university students and the public.
72. During the reporting period, UNIS continued to promote human rights issues both in its ongoing work and by undertaking special projects relating to specific events. Concerning the latter, 2001 saw particular emphasis given to the World Conference against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance. 2002 witnessed information campaigns geared to the referendum on Swiss membership of the United Nations.
73. UNIS, in cooperation with OHCHR, worked on a travelling exhibition produced by an NGO, Art for the World, to promote art in the defence of universal rights and respect for cultural diversity. The exhibition featuring sports and the fight against racism was inaugurated in Milan, Italy, in March 2001 and shown at the Palais des Nations in connection with the International Day against Racism and Racial Discrimination. A brochure with a CD was produced for the occasion. It is now travelling worldwide, including to New York, Dakar, Geneva and Sao Paulo. In 2004, the last stop will be Athens, where the project will celebrate the spirit of the Olympic Games.
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74. In the period leading up to the World Conference, UNIS collaborated with OHCHR in producing and distributing video messages on racism for distribution to broadcasters and NGOs and for use at conferences and seminars. A short feature on the Human Rights Against Racism concert was produced for the CNN World Report series. The concert recording, which included comments by the High Commissioner on the struggle against racism, was edited and distributed to various stations.
75. UNIS devoted considerable time in 2002 to an historic occasion - Switzerland’s accession to the United Nations as a fully-fledged Member State. UNIS strengthened ties with the Swiss authorities to foster a better understanding of the United Nations agenda. Human rights were presented as a key component of the Organization’s work, and in January 2002, the Service organized a forum for Swiss Youth, which underscored this aspect.
76. The Palais des Nations opened its doors to the public (27 and 28 October 2001) for educational and recreational activities designed to explain the work of the United Nations. The event attracted 15,000 people to the Palais des Nations and took on particular significance, given the referendum held in March 2002 on Swiss membership of the United Nations. The Open House Days highlighted five thematic clusters, including human rights as a cross-cutting theme.
77. Radio and television continued to cover human rights extensively. UNIS Geneva also facilitated coverage and provided production and transmission facilities for accredited journalists as well as for broadcasters in different parts of the world for interviews with senior human rights officials. Between January 2001 and November 2002, 305 radio reports and 197 television reports on various human rights activities and events were produced and transmitted to UN Radio in New York and to major national and international broadcasters and broadcast agencies.
78. In April 2002, human rights was the main subject in the Palais des Nations magazine programme, which was broadcast on cable channels in French-speaking Switzerland and on Channel 78 in New York.
79. UNIS maintained its home page in English and French, giving prominence to human rights developments, and continued its collaboration with the Internet team of OHCHR to ensure that press releases on human rights activities were available on the OHCHR web site. This proved invaluable to journalists, students, Governments, NGOs and the general public.
80. The Visitors’ Service covers human rights in each of its tours. The 50-minute long tour devotes about 5 minutes to this subject, and guides are frequently asked questions about human rights. During the annual training seminar, guides are taught the most important concepts about human rights, as one of the highlights of the work of UNOG. Guides explain to visitors the different types of human rights; the mechanisms; the work of the treaty bodies in monitoring States’ compliance with their obligations; the work of OHCHR; and current priorities, such as the fight against trafficking in human beings. To date, 14 briefings on human rights have been organized for groups of students in conjunction with a guided tour.
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81. During the reporting period, the Public Relations Section organized 71 seminars that included a human rights lecture as part of an information programme on the work of the United Nations tailored to the needs of students, diplomats and the 250 Geneva-based NGOs, and hundreds of others who come to attend the main human rights meetings held in Geneva.
82. During the fifty-seventh session of the Commission on Human Rights, held in 2001, UNIS acted as moderator for 28 briefings, organized by OHCHR and given by special rapporteurs, special representatives, independent experts and mandate holders to all accredited participants in the Commission on Human Rights, with particular emphasis on NGOs; and during the fifty-eighth session in 2002, UNIS moderated 30 such briefings and one parallel event Young People against Racism: the Road from Durban, organized by OHCHR.
83. Recognizing the importance of eliciting the interest of young people in the future of the Organization, UNIS organizes the annual Graduate Study Programme, which brings together postgraduate students from around the world to consider the pressing challenges before the Organization. Besides lectures on human rights given by senior officials to all participants, each programme offers the option of a human rights working group under the supervision and coordination of OHCHR human rights officers. The thirty-ninth Graduate Study Programme took place from 2 to 20 July 2001. A total of 69 students representing 43 Member States participated in the Programme, which took the theme “Youth and the United Nations: a partnership for the future”.
84. The fortieth Graduate Study Programme (1-19 July 2002) took the theme “The United Nations as a tool for dialogue between civilizations”. A total of 69 students representing 32 Member States participated in the Programme. Under the supervision and coordination of OHCHR human rights officers, participants in the Working Group on Human Rights examined the following themes: Women and human rights: education; violence against women; trafficking in women; economic and social empowerment; human rights and racism; the debate around Zionism; human rights and minorities; and migrants and human rights.
C. Activities of other United Nations information centres and services and United Nations offices
85. More than 32 UNICs and UNISs and United Nations Offices (UNOs) commemorated Human Rights Day on or around 10 December 2001. Working in cooperation with Governments, non-governmental organizations, educational institutions, businesses and other members of civil society, UNICs organized various special events: seminars, lectures, media round tables, training programmes, video/film screenings, press conferences, conferences, workshops, panel discussions and exhibits. A few activities selected from among all those undertaken by UNICs include the following: UNO at Almaty organized a full-day event in observance of Human Rights Day, including a book and poster exhibition devoted to Human Rights Day, a seminar on human rights, and round tables on street law and on peacekeeping and human rights. A discussion on implementation of human rights in the Republic of Congo was organized by the Brazzaville UNIC. The international NGO “IDEA” (Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance) organized, in cooperation with UNIC in Brussels and the Royal Music Conservatorium, a concert entitled 21 notes for article 21 of the Universal Declaration of Human
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Rights on the occasion of the first Human Rights Day of the twenty-first century. UNIC in Cairo organized a reception and dinner for Egyptian media representatives in observance of Human Rights Day. A seminar on the role of good governance in the promotion of human rights was organized by UNIC in Dhaka, in collaboration with the Institutional Development of Human Rights in Bangladesh Project of the Ministry of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs. A three- day exhibit on the subject of human rights was organized by UNIC in Ouagadougou, which also organized a seminar on “The role of civil society in the fight against racism and xenophobia” to mark Human Rights Day. Poster and drawing competitions for schoolchildren on the subject of human rights were organized by UNIC in Antananarivo, UNO at Tbilisi and UNO at Yerevan. UNIS in Vienna organized, in consultation with the Conference of NGOs in consultative status with the Economic and Social Council, a special event to mark the International Year of Volunteers and International Human Rights Day. During its programme for Human Rights Awareness Week, UNIC in Windhoek set up an exhibition to commemorate Human Rights Day.
86. A number of UNICs, UNISs and UNOs undertook activities to promote the International Year of Mobilization against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance, and to promote the World Conference on the subject, held in Durban. For example, an exhibition of paintings to mark the World Conference was organized by UNO at Almaty. UNIC in Brazzaville seized the opportunity of the Festival of Music held by the Organization of African Unity to mount an exhibit of posters, photos and United Nations documents on racism. Other activities included a special event undertaken by UNIC in Dakar to observe World Refugee Day as part of its programme to promote the Durban Conference; discussions among student groups and an essay contest organized by UNIC in Dhaka; and a theatre and dance showcase entitled “Women for peace against racism”, organized by UNIC in Harare. UNIC in Mexico City coordinated with the Ministries of Education and of Foreign Affairs to carry out a nationwide educational campaign against racism. UNO at Minsk conducted a radio quiz and carried out an opinion poll on issues of racial discrimination. UNIC in New Delhi organized a march by 400 schoolchildren, which was flagged off by Pandit Ravi Shankar, a Goodwill Ambassador for the World Conference. A special event brought together a number of prominent Russian human rights activists and representatives of academic and artistic communities organized by UNIC in Moscow. A cultural night entitled “Children, peace and the fight against racism, xenophobia and related intolerance”, presided over by the wife of the President of Burkina Faso, was organized by UNIC in Ouagadougou. Art competitions and exhibits, as well as other activities, were organized by UNICs, UNISs and UNOs in Athens, Buenos Aires, Bujumbura, Panama City, Prague, Rabat, Rome, Tashkent and Vienna.
87. The International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination was also commemorated by several information centres.
88. The International Day of the World’s Indigenous People was marked by special events such as an exhibit and a book fair, organized by UNIC in Bucharest; and an international colloquium organized by UNIC in Paris.
89. Similar activities were undertaken for the International Day for Tolerance, including an open-air event with embassies and NGOs, by UNIC in Bonn; a poetry contest for high school students by UNIC in Brazzaville; a discussion and a drama organized by UNIC in Dhaka; the launch by UNIC in Lagos of the French language version of Action Peace Game, an educational E/CN.4/2003/99 page 19 game which was first produced last year in English by an NGO called Global Language Peace International; and the launch of the press kit on dialogue among civilizations, by UNO at Yerevan.
90. Other events and programmes include a book and poster exhibition and quiz contest for children, entitled “What do you know about children’s rights and the UN?”; the launch of a journal entitled “Vana Vana!” (“Children Matter!”) by UNIC in Harare; an exhibit of International Labour Organization photos on child labour by UNIC in Tokyo; and an exhibit of children’s paintings organized by UNO at Yerevan.
91. Human rights instruments have been translated, printed, or reprinted by several UNICs and UNOs, such as UNIC in Lisbon, which translated the DPI fact sheet entitled “Human Rights and Older Persons”. UNICs, UNISs and UNOs in Athens, Brussels, Harare, Lisbon, Lomé, New Delhi, Prague, Rabat, Rome, Tbilisi, Tehran, Vienna and Warsaw translated DPI publications for the World Conference against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance into local languages.
92. A number of UNICs reprinted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, including UNICs in Brussels, Dhaka, Islamabad, Lisbon and Yangon. UNICs in Brussels and UNO at Yerevan reprinted the DPI booklet entitled International Bill of Human Rights.
93. UNICs, UNISs and UNOs provided assistance and logistical support and generated publicity for visiting United Nations officials, including several special rapporteurs and the High Commissioner for Human Rights. In Brussels, Buenos Aires, Cairo, Islamabad, Lima, London, Mexico City, New Delhi and Pretoria, press conferences, radio, television and newspaper interviews and other meetings were organized for the High Commissioner.
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