United Nations Information Centres
| Abbreviation | UNIC |
|---|---|
| Formation | 1946 |
| Purpose | Information centre |
| Headquarters | New York |
Head | António Guterres[1] (2017–present) |
| Website | unic |
The United Nations Information Centres (UNIC) were established in 1946, headquartered in New York, United States.[2][3] Spread across 63 countries worldwide.[4] The centres operated in 63 countries until their restructuring in 2018, when the UN consolidated their communications functions under the Department of Global Communications.[5] The department supervised and approved development initiatives, with a primary focus on thematic campaigns on United Nations-related issues that were distributed through regional information centres.[6]
History
Established in 1946, the United Nations Information Centres were placed under the oversight of the Department of Department of Public Information, which was renamed into Department of Global Communications in 2018.[7] The department coordinated the centers' operations and approved their communications initiatives and regional programs.
The inaugural establishment of UNICs in 1946 marked the genesis of a network designed to bridge communication gaps on a global scale. Beginning with two centers, the network grew to 63 centers. The expansion reflected the UN's increasing emphasis on direct public communication. UNICs distribute information about the United Nations System in their regions.
Headquartered in New York, the UNICs distributed UN communications to regional audiences.[8][9]
The Department of Global Communications, led by Under-Secretary-General Melissa Fleming, oversees UNIC operations.[10]
The United Nations Information Centres (UNICs), the field offices of the Department of Global Communications, are the principal sources of information about the United Nations system in the countries where they are located. UNICs aim to enhance awareness and support for the UN’s goals by tailoring information dissemination to local contexts and needs. UNICs deliver information about the United Nations in their respective countries, in local languages, to a wide range of people, including journalists, government officials, civil society representatives, students, educators and researchers.
Scope
United Nations Information Centres operate in the following regions: Europe, the Americas, the UAE, Asia & the Pacific, and Africa. The centers distribute UN materials in local languages. To ensure accessibility and comprehensibility, all information is meticulously translated and presented in the regional languages of their respective areas.
These centers maintain communication between the UN and local populations and governments in their respective countries. Their mandate extends to engaging with media outlets, educational institutions, and other stakeholders to facilitate coordination within the UN system. Additionally, UNICs forge partnerships with governmental, non-governmental, and private sector organizations to advance shared objectives and initiatives.[11][12]
Activities
UNICs are involved in various core activities aimed at disseminating the latest information about the UN system.[13]
- Communication - UNICs implement communication strategies utilizing current affairs, traditional festivals, and events. UNICs ensure that all relevant UN communications are accurately translated into local languages for effective outreach.
- Media Outreach - UNICs establish connections with national and regional media outlets to distribute information. These centers utilize press conferences, print media, electronic, and digital mediums to disseminate information collaboratively.
- Information Resource Development - UNICs manage extensive resource libraries and digital platforms that provide up-to-date UN materials for local use, often featuring tailored content for different regions. Training sessions provide journalists with information about UN development programs and initiatives. They regularly conduct television and radio broadcasts featuring UN stories in regional languages.
- Events Organization - UNICs organize numerous events on international and national celebration days. Additionally, they coordinate seminars, sports, and other competitions in educational institutions.
List of centres
The following are all of the current information centres, as well as all the areas they serve:[14]
African States
| Centre | Established | Areas serviced | Director |
|---|---|---|---|
| UNIC Accra | 1958 | Ghana Sierra Leone |
Sylvia Lopez-Ekra |
| UNIC Antananarivo | 1963 | Madagascar | Violet Kakyomya |
| UNO Asmara | 1993 | Eritrea | Susan Ngongi |
| UNIC Brazzaville | 1983 | Congo | Anthony Ohemeng-Boamah |
| UNIC Bujumbura | 1961 | Burundi | Garry Conille |
| UNIC Dakar | 1964 | Senegal Cape Verde Ivory Coast Gambia Guinea Guinea-Bissau Mauritania |
Damian Cardona Onses |
| UNIC Dar es Salaam | 1961 | United Republic of Tanzania | Alvaro Rodriguez |
| UNIC Harare | 1982 | Zimbabwe | Bishow Parajuli |
| UNIC Lagos | 1967 | Nigeria | Ronald Kayanja |
| UNIC Lome | 1962 | Togo Benin |
Damien Mama |
| UNIC Lusaka | 1975 | Zambia | Janet Rogan |
| UNIC Nairobi | 1974 | Kenya Uganda Seychelles |
Nasser Ega-Musa |
| UNIC Ouagadougou | 1982 | Burkina Faso Chad Mali Niger |
Metsi Makhetha |
| UNIC Pretoria | 1995 | South Africa | Masimba Tafirenyika |
| UNIC Windhoek | 1992 | Namibia | Rachel Odede |
| UNIC Yaounde | 1965 | Cameroon Central African Republic Gabon |
Allegra Maria Del Pilar Baiocchi |
American States
| Centre | Established | Areas serviced | Director |
|---|---|---|---|
| UNIC Asuncion | 1962 | Paraguay | Jorge Meza |
| UNIC Bogota | 1954 | Colombia Ecuador Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of |
Helene Papper |
| UNIC Buenos Aires | 1948 | Argentina Uruguay |
Tamar Hahn |
| UNIC La Paz | 1963 | Bolivia (Plurinational State of) | Mauricio Ramirez-Villegas |
| UNIC Lima | 1960 | Peru | Maria del Carmen Sacasa |
| UNIC Mexico City | 1947 | Mexico Cuba Dominican Republic |
Giancarlo Summa |
| UNIC Panama City | 1984 | Panama | Harold Robinson |
| UNIC Port of Spain | 1962 | Countries: Antigua and Barbuda Bahamas Barbados Belize Dominica Grenada Guyana Jamaica Saint Kitts and Nevis Saint Lucia Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Suriname Trinidad and Tobago Other areas: Aruba Bonaire Curaçao Saba Sint Eustatius Sint Maarten |
Juan Miguel Diez |
| UNIC Rio de Janeiro | 1947 | Brazil | Maurizio Giuliano |
| UNIC Washington | 1946 | United States of America | Robert Skinner[15] |
Arab States
| Centre | Established | Areas serviced | Director |
|---|---|---|---|
| UNIC Algiers | 1963 | Algeria | Eric Overvest |
| UNIC Beirut | 1962 | Lebanon Jordan Kuwait Syrian Arab Republic |
Marguerite El Helou |
| UNIC Cairo | 1949 | Egypt Saudi Arabia |
Radhia Achouri |
| UNIC Khartoum | 1963 | Sudan Somalia |
Gwi-Yeop Son |
| UNIC Manama | 1977 | Bahrain Qatar United Arab Emirates |
Samir Al-Darabi |
| UNIC Rabat | 1962 | Morocco | Fethi Debbabi (Acting Director) |
| UNIC Sana'a | 1994 | Yemen | Lise Grande |
| UNIC Tunis | 1960 | Tunisia | Diego Zorrilla |
Asia and Pacific States
| Centre | Established | Areas serviced | Director |
|---|---|---|---|
| UNIC Canberra | 1948 | Australia Fiji Kiribati Nauru New Zealand Samoa Tonga Tuvalu Vanuatu |
Christopher Woodthorpe |
| UNIC Colombo | 1961 | Sri Lanka | Hanaa Singer |
| UNIC Dhaka | 1981 | Bangladesh | Mia Seppo |
| UNIC Islamabad | 1951 | Pakistan | Vlastimil Samek (Acting Director) |
| UNIC Jakarta | 1985 | Indonesia | Francyne Harrigan (Acting Director) |
| UNIC Kathmandu | 1964 | Nepal | Sara Beysolow Nyanti |
| UNIC Manila | 1953 | Philippines Papua New Guinea Solomon Islands |
Ola Almgren |
| UNIC New Delhi | 1947 | India Bhutan |
Darrin Farrant |
| UNIC Tehran | 1950 | Iran (Islamic Republic of) | Maria Dotsenko |
| UNIC Tokyo | 1958 | Japan | Kaoru Nemoto |
| UNIC Yangon | 1959 | Myanmar | Knut Ostby |
Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States
| Centre | Established | Areas serviced | Director |
|---|---|---|---|
| UNO Almaty | 1993 | Kazakhstan | Abdurahim Muhidov (Officer-in-Charge) |
| UNIC Ankara | 1975 | Turkey | Irena Vojačkova-Sollorano |
| UNO Baku | 1992 | Azerbaijan | Ghulam Isaczai |
| UNRIC Brussels | 2004 | Countries: Andorra Belgium Cyprus Denmark Finland France Germany Greece Holy See Iceland Ireland Italy Luxembourg Malta Monaco Netherlands Norway Portugal San Marino Spain Sweden United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland Other areas served: European Union |
Deborah Seward |
| UNIS Geneva | 1947 | Switzerland | Alessandra Vellucci |
| UNO Kyiv | 1992 | Ukraine | Osnat Lubrani |
| UNO Minsk | 1992 | Belarus | Joanna Kazana |
| UNIC Moscow | 1948 | Russian Federation | Vladimir Kuznetsov |
| UNIC Prague | 1947 | Czech Republic | Michal Broza (Officer-in-Charge) |
| UNO Tashkent | 1992 | Uzbekistan | Helena Fraser |
| UNO Tbilisi | 1992 | Georgia | Vinton Louisa |
| UNIS Vienna | 1984 | Austria Hungary Slovakia Slovenia |
Martin Nesirky |
| UNIC Warsaw | 1995 | Poland | Mariola Ratschka (Officer-in-Charge) |
| UNO Yerevan | 1992 | Armenia | Shombi Sharp |
References
- ^ "Secretary General Biography". United Nations. 22 December 2016.
- ^ "United Nations Information Centre - Canberra". PreventionWeb.net. Retrieved 2025-12-22.
- ^ Nations, United. "Who We Are". United Nations. Retrieved 2024-04-22.
- ^ Nations, United. "United Nations Information Centres - Directory". United Nations. Retrieved 2024-04-22.
- ^ "UN Department of Global Communications". ReliefWeb. Retrieved 2025-12-22.
- ^ "Who We Are". United Nations Information Centres.
- ^ "Name Change Reflects Shift in United Nations Approach to Communications". American Name Society. 2019-11-24. Retrieved 2025-12-22.
- ^ "UN Information Centre". United Nations Foundation. Archived from the original on 1 March 2018.
- ^ UN Information Centers & Services. United Nations. 1998. p. 1461. ISBN 978-9-211008401.
- ^ "Melissa Fleming, Under-Secretary-General for Global Communications". United Nations. 2025-01-01. Retrieved 2025-12-22.
- ^ "Partnerships". United Nations Information Centres.
- ^ "United Nations Information Centres portal". unic.un.org. Retrieved 2024-04-22.
- ^ Yearbook of the United Nations. United Nations. 2003. pp. 635–636. ISBN 978-9-211009057.
- ^ "UNIC Directory". United Nations Information Centres. Department of Global Communications, United Nations. Retrieved 19 March 2019.
- ^ "Robert Skinner, Director, The United Nations Information Center". UN Association of the National Capital Area. Archived from the original on 15 August 2020. Retrieved 3 October 2020.