On 15 April 2008, DPI launched an exhibition of its publications in the Armenian language which were locally produced between 1996 and 2007. During this time more than 90 books, bulletins, booklets, posters and calendars were published with an overall print run of 100,000. The title chosen for the exhibition was the slogan of the International Year of Languages: “Languages Matter”.

The exhibition remained open to visitors until the end of April. Several of these locally produced materials as well as some received from UN headquarters were made available for free to anyone interested in having a copy. During these two weeks, visitors of this exhibition included Republican librarians, students from several universities, high-school students from various regions of Armenia, and representatives of non-governmental organizations.

The exhibition was organized within the framework of “Armenian Library Week”, a 2001 initiative. Every year a week in April is designated as Armenian Library Week. UN DPI and the UN Reference Library take an active part in the events that are organized. UN DPI has also hosted the members of the Armenian Library Information System network in the UN Reference Library and initiated a permanent collaboration with the network.

This year, the Armenian Library Week took place from 14 to 21 April. The UN Reference Library was again on the list of participants. As part of the scheduled events and activities, April 15 was mentioned as Mother Language Day, a national initiative distinct from 21 February which is International Mother Language Day.

The General Assembly has proclaimed 2008 as the International Year of languages with the slogan “Languages Matter”. It is estimated that more than 50% of some 6,700 languages spoken in the world are threatened with extinction and on the average of every two weeks a language ceases to be spoken. According to experts, 96% of languages are spoken by only 4% of the population. And it means: “When languages fade, so does the world’s rich tapestry of cultural diversity”.

In commemoration of the International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action the UN Representative for the Department of Public Information (DPI) went to the region of Tovuz, 500km out of Baku, to meet with young people in border rural areas of Azerbaijan who were disabled in land mine explosions.

The meeting was organized in cooperation with the Baku-based Social and Psychological Rehabilitation Centre of the Youth - “Dirchelish” (Revival). The more than 70 young disabled mine survivors were eager to talk about their problems, such as unemployment, deprivation of health assistance, low level of education and the difficulties they had to integrate into community life. The UN representative participated in a talk show devoted to the needs and problems of disabled young mine survivors. She also gave several interviews focusing on UN activities regarding assistance in mine action around the globe and in Azerbaijan.

On 2 April 2008, UN DPI Office in Azerbaijan and the Baku Office of RIA Novosti (Russian News Agency) organized a press conference. They invited three mine victims from Qazax, Tovuz and Naxchivan to participate. The main focus was on the results of a project implemented by the Social and Psychological Rehabilitation Centre of the Youth – “Dirchelish” (Revival) in the western border areas of Azerbaijan that helps young people disabled due to land mine explosions.

The Secretary-General of the United Nations, Mr. Ban Ki-Moon, ended an official forty-eight hour visit in Burkina Faso on 23 April. This visit took place in the framework of a West-African tour that led the Secretary-General to Ghana, where he participated in the 12th session of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development. His visit also included stops in Liberia and Cote-d'Ivoire.

The Secretary-General met with the president of Burkina Faso as well as with the President of the National Assembly and the Prime Minister.

On the second day of his visit, the Secretary-General met with staff members of the UN System in Burkina Faso to express his satisfaction with their remarkable work accomplished in the field and to pledge his support.

During his visit to the primary school in Manegda, located on the outskirts of Ouagadougou, the Secretary-General underlined that “ensuring primary education for all is one of the priority objectives the UN is aiming for in collaboration with the governments all around the world.”

The United Nations Information Centre (UNIC) Lusaka, together with the UN System in Zambia and partner Read Beyond Zambia, celebrated World Book and Copyright Day on 23 April.  Celebrations began with a parade, lead by the Zambia Army Brass Band.

At a ceremony following the parade, the Deputy Vice Chancellor of the University of Zambia stated that it was disheartening that people only used books when they had to study or conduct research and that people did not understand and appreciate copyright related issues. A writer from the Young Writers Association of Zambia (YOWAZ) bemoaned the lack of funding and support that made it impossible for young writers to adequately protect their intellectual property from unlawful reproduction.

Local artists, poets and writers educated the participants on the importance of the book and copyright related issues through plays and poems. There was also a book fair where various publishers and writers showcased their intellectual property. The event was attended by approximately 120 people.