United Nations Information Centre in cooperation with United Nations Communications Group-Japan (UNCG-J), the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan, United Nations Association of Japan and Japan Model United Nations Society, will this Autumn present UN Week 2009. The Week, which will be held for the first time in 2009, will span from Friday 16 October to Saturday 24 October, and will provide a common platform for a range of events and activities focusing on the UN, our world and our future.

The Week will commence with “Stand Up Take Action” (October 16 to 18), a global event whereby people from around the world are asked to stand up together in support of UN Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and the eradication of poverty. The MDGs were agreed to by world leaders at the Millennium Summit of 2000 and aim to halve poverty worldwide by 2015. The Stand Up Take Action campaign thereby provides an opportunity for general populations to publicly express expectations that leaders fulfill their commitments. Last year approximately 117 million people stood up in 131 countries (including approximately 22,000 standing up in Japan), with the result being recorded in the Guinness Book of Records. The UN General Assembly has designated 16 October as World Food Day and 17 October as International Day for the Eradication of Poverty.

The Week will conclude with UN Day on 24 October, which will this year mark the 64th anniversary of the founding of the UN. UN Day is celebrated annually, with an array of events held around the world in commemoration of the occasion.

During UN Week 2009, it is intended that UN-related events will be held throughout the nation, with the common goal of boosting understanding of and support for the works of the UN among as many people as possible. To this end, United Nations Information Centre has created the Week’s special logo and poster (produced with the support of designer, Mr. Daisuke Sakai). It is hoped that those interested in holding such related events will make full use of these materials and assist in advancement of the Week as a whole. For details, please see https://www.unic.or.jp/un_week/.

Major events presently planned are as follows:

· Stand Up Take Action
Friday 16 October to Sunday 18 October; locations throughout Japan
[Primarily organised by GCAP Japan, with support from United Nations Information Centre]

· International Saitama Symposium, “Meeting Millennium Development Goals”
Saturday 17 October to Sunday 18 October; Urawa Royal Pines Hotel
[Organised jointly by the International Saitama Symposium Executive Committee and the United Nations Association of Japan]

· High School Student Speech Contest on International Understanding and Cooperation (Final Selection)
Monday 19 October; Elizabeth Rose Conference Hall, United Nations University Headquarters
[Organised jointly by United Nations Association of Japan and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs]

· UN Day 2009 Symposium
Friday 23 October, U Thant International Conference Hall, United Nations University Headquarters
[Organised by United Nations University]

· Social Venture Competition, “The UN and Business: Let’s Change the World Together”
Saturday 24 October; Elizabeth Rose Conference Hall, United Nations University Headquarters
[Organised by Japan Model United Nations Society]

For inquires in relation to UN Week 2009, please contact:

United Nations Information Centre
Email: unweek@gmail.com
Phone 03-5467-4451

＊The United Nations Communications Group-Japan (UNCG-J) is the collective communications mechanism of the UN Secretariat and UN Agencies, and functions to coordinate public relations. UN Agencies participating in UNCG-Japan are as follows:

Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) Japan Office, International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Tokyo Regional Office, International Labour Organization (ILO) Japan Office, International Reconstruction and Development Bank (IBRD/IDA – World Bank) Tokyo Office, International Finance Cooperation (IFC) Tokyo Office, International Monetary Fund (IMF) Asia-Pacific Regional Office, Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA), UN Statistical Institute for Asia and the Pacific (SIAP), The United Nations Asia and Far East Institute for the Prevention of Crime and the Treatment of Offenders (UNAFEI), United Nations Centre for Regional Development (UNCRD), UNCRD Disaster Management Planning Hyogo Office, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Tokyo Office, United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) International Environmental Technology Centre (IETC), UNEP North-west Pacific Action Plan (NOWPAP) Regional Coordination Unit Toyama Office, United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) Tokyo Office, United Nations Human Settlement Programme Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific (UN-Habitat), United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) Japan Office, United Nations Information Centre (UNIC), United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Tokyo Office, United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) Investment and Technology Promotion Office, Tokyo, International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UN-ISDR) Hyogo Office, United Nations Institute for Training and Research Hiroshima Office for Asia and the Pacific (UNITAR HOAP), United Nations Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UN OCHA) Relief Web Kobe, United Nations University (UNU), UNU Institute of Advanced Studies (UNU/IAS), UN Volunteers (UNV), United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) Japan Office, World Health Organisation (WHO) / Centre for Health Development (WHO Kobe Centre), World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) Japan Office.