United Nations in the world

UN Agencies

The UN Information Centre in Moscow

Established in 1948, the United Nations Information Centre in Moscow is the oldest UN system presence in the Russian Federation. It is a kind of a very compact “UN information agency,” a source and re-disseminator of information about the Organization’s day-to-day activities. On the other hand, the UNIC represents a wealth of knowledge, advance experience and international standards in the most diverse fields - from natural environment to exploration of the outer space.

Yet another task of the Centre is to keep the UN headquarters informed about the perception by the Russian public opinion of the Organization’s activities. The UNIC’s overarching goal is to contribute to an informed understanding in Russia of the UN’s achievements and priorities, to encourage an ever greater contribution by various sections of the Russian society to the World Organization’s work and promote an efficient use of the experience and potential of the United Nations for improving the lives of ordinary Russians.

The official name of the agency - UN Information Centre in Moscow - does not imply at all that the geographical scope of its work is limited to the Russian capital. On the contrary, one the Centre’s current priorities is to expand its outreach to the Russian regions, which increasingly become “less distant” as global telecommunications networks grow. The UNIC intends to pay a lot of attention to providing information support on the local level, including through its regional partners.

The UN Information Centre operates in close contact with federal and local official agencies of the Russian Federation. Depending on their specific requirements, it provides them with information about the United Nations’ activities and assists them with holding associated practical arrangements.

The UNIC assists the media with preparing materials on a broad range of UN-related issues. The Centre’s staff organize press conference and round tables, often involving top officials of the United Nations, and offer comments on UN issues on radio and television. On many occasions the UNIC has been instrumental in arranging the participation of Russian journalists in various international conferences and other UN-sponsored events.

One of the UNIC’s priorities is to maintain partnership links with various non-governmental organizations and research institutions - either by devising and implementing joint communications and advocacy projects, dissemination of information materials, or personal contacts. NGO activists make up an enthusiastic and responsive audience for jointly organized conferences and seminars, various kinds of competitions and exhibitions. The UNIC also assists NGOs with the implementation of their own initiatives involving issues on the UN agenda, takes part in UN Models, etc.

One of the key elements of the Centre’s structure is its library. It is a well-established professional branch of the main library located at UN Headquarters. The UNIC library keeps official UN documents and other information materials, as well as a wide variety of maps, photographs, posters, statistical reports and audio- and video materials - totalling hundreds of thousands storage units. If the Library Assistant is unable to locate the requested document in the Library archives, use can be made of UN “virtual library,” whose resources are available on-line.

The UNIC’s web-site (www.unic.ru) is yet another “bridge” linking the Centre with users of UN information in Russia. Of course, it cannot compete with the main UN site (www.un.org), where the information content is much richer, however, the UNIC staff update the Centre’s site on a daily basis, posting a Daily Bulletin for the Press and several press releases in Russian every day.

The United Nations is an open organization. Just like any other organization, it seeks to be “popular,” i.e., familiar and easy to understand to various section of the local society, including “people from the street.” The World Organization is relevant for governments, professional circles - politicians, lawyers, ecologists, businessmen, etc. - as well as for the media and all those whose daily work contributes to the future of our planet. It is of paramount importance that all these people have a complete and - which is even more important - correct perception of the United Nations: its mission, its goals, and the difficulties the Organisation comes across as it goes about fulfilling its mandates. Because only such “enlightened” understanding can bring the UN the popular support it needs so much.

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© 2002 UN Russia Moscow | E-mail: info@unrussia.ru