The United Nations Information Office (UNO) in Tashkent to host its first ‘UN Fridays’ event of the new year
On Friday the 13th of January 2012, the United Nations Information Office (UNO) in Tashkent will host its first ‘UN Fridays’ event of the new year. This event, part of the UN Fridays series which has been hosted by UNO every two weeks since its creation in mid-2011, is expected to attract 70 Tashkent residents, media representatives, UN staff and members of the greater public. This UN Friday event will have two purposes, firstly to announce the winners of the annual ‘Ask the UN in Uzbekistan Your Questions’ competition, and secondly to introduce the screening of a series of United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) documentaries highlighting the work undertaken to protect Uzbekistan’s environment while supporting its rural populations.
The annual “Ask the UN in Uzbekistan Your Questions’ competition, which was first held by UNO Tashkent in 2008, has this year received a particularly strong response. The competition invites the greater public to submit questions regarding the UN’s operations both in Uzbekistan and around the world, of which UNO selects the best ten to answer. These answers are then delivered by UN representatives at the end of the competition, and the submitters of these questions are given prizes.
This year’s competition has attracted over 100 questions, submitted via email and Facebook, which have addressed matters including human rights, global conflict and human development. The magnitude of this response has made selecting the ten best submissions a challenging task. By providing the answers to these questions during the upcoming UN Friday, it is hoped that the participating guests will leave with a greater understand of how the UN functions and the importance of its work.
The upcoming UN Friday will also feature the screening of the UNDP documentary ‘Achieving Ecosystem Stability on Degraded Land in Karakalpakstan and the Kzyzlkum Desert’, which presents an overview of the problems faced in the regions and the techniques used to address them. This film highlights one of UNDP’s priorities in Uzbekistan; protecting fragile environments while supporting local populations. After this inspirational screening this film, UNO will detail the upcoming series of documentaries which will be presented over the coming months.
About UN Fridays
UN Fridays is a programme which has been run by UNO, in conjunction with UN Volunteers, UNDP and other UN agencies in Uzbekistan, since the 9th of September 2011. Taking place every second Friday, these events address various aspects of the UN’s work in Uzbekistan. The purpose of these events’ is two-fold; to improve the transparency of the UN in Uzbekistan, and to form a connection with community partners, the mass media, UN colleagues and interested members of the greater public. These events have addressed a wide variety of topics, including the Millennium Development Goals, the United Nations University in Costa Rica, the Model United Nations Programme and the work of UN volunteers in Uzbekistan. They have also featured informative films and unique photography exhibitions. UNO intends to continue this popular program in 2012
Information concerning UN Fridays is posted on UNIC Tashkent’s Facebook page and on the ‘UN in Uzbekistan’ website, which is currently operating in its new format.
About UNO
The United Nations Information Office (UNO) was established in Uzbekistan in 1993 and has since then been an operational branch office of the United Nations Department of Public Information. While working in close cooperation with the UN system, UNO has been a principal source of up-to-date information regarding the United Nation’s work in Uzbekistan. UNO undertakes a number of tasks in Uzbekistan, including the provision of advice and support to other UN offices and programmes working in the country, the design of information strategies, the organisation of press conferences, and the dissemination of timely information to the media and the general public.