A/HRC/4/106
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entitled “What the United Nations Can Do to Assist Non-Self-Governing Territories” and made
it available on the United Nations website on decolonization. The Department publicized the
referendum on the future status of Tokelau in February 2006.
59.
In 2005 and 2006, a total of 26 young journalists from developing countries participated
in the Reham Al-Farra Memorial Journalists’ Fellowship Programme. The journalists received
human rights-related briefings as well as briefings on international migration, small arms,
nuclear weapons, the responsibility to protect, children and armed conflict, culture of peace and
counter-terrorism from senior Secretariat officials, including a representative of OHCHR. The
journalists also attended an advanced skills and training workshop at Columbia University which
included subjects such as “Covering democracies: good governance and free elections” and
“Human rights and the media: promoting national interest or universal human rights?”; visited
the Committee to Protect Journalists; participated in round-table discussions and seminars on the
themes of genocide prevention and unlearning intolerance; and were given a reporting
assignment on human rights.
60.
The Department’s annual Training Programme for Palestinian Media Practitioners was
attended by a total of 19 participants in 2005 and 2006. The 2005 programme included a
week-long visit to Geneva where participants received extensive briefings by OHCHR officials
on the work of the United Nations in the field of human rights. In 2006, the trainees received a
human rights briefing by an OHCHR official in New York. Additionally, they visited Human
Rights Watch and the Committee to Protect Journalists. The week-long academic programme at
Columbia University included sessions on freedom of the press, human rights and the media,
covering good governance and free elections, as well as conflict and peacekeeping, terrorism and
counter-terrorism.
A. Activities of the United Nations Information Service
at the United Nations Office at Geneva
61.
UNIS Geneva has a special role in fostering awareness of the United Nations human
rights programmes given its proximity to OHCHR and close working relationship with the
Office, as well as the human rights treaty body system and the Human Rights Council.
62.
The Council, which elicited extensive media and public interest, was a key priority in the
Service’s workplan throughout the Council’s first transitional year. The Service provided key
media liaison support to the Council’s Secretariat and Bureau, assigning one of its staff members
to this role, whilst the Director of the Service serves as United Nations spokesperson on the
Council’s activities. Multi-camera coverage of Council meetings was provided for a live
webcast and for the provision of daily news items distributed through Eurovision and UNifeed.
Additional B-roll was provided on request to national television stations. The webcast is now
permanently available in archived format on the United Nations dedicated webcast page at
www.un.org/webcast.
63.
During the reporting period, the Service issued 501 press releases and 472 meeting
summaries pertaining to human rights in English and French. It organized 95 press conferences
related to human rights. A total of 209 radio reports and 151 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, such as the European
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