The UN Information Centre (UNIC) Manila just launched its new and improved website!

The revamped site features information on the UN in the Philippines, including briefs on all resident UN agencies. It has a Newsroom, which contains UNIC’s daily press releases, a link to the UN News Centre and UNIC Manila’s news. 

There is also a tab entitled "Office of the Secretary-General," which features Mr. Ban Ki-moon’s latest statements, including video messages. 

A fourth tab, "Get Involved" invites the general public to engage in communication campaigns and the fifth tab, "Multimedia resources," contains e-Reports, videos, promotional materials, etc., that are linked to various campaigns. 

As a grand finale, the sixth tab offers a new searchable Library Catalogue. But don’t take our word, check it out for yourself!

The 2013 Economic and Social Survey of Asia and the Pacific was presented to a full capacity crowd at its Manila, Philippines launch last 18 April 2013 at Saisaki Restaurant, in Quezon City. The launch was organized by the United Nations Information Centre (UNIC) Manila on behalf of the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP) Bangkok.

The Report was presented by UNESCAP Associate Economic Affairs Officer, Mr. Yusuke Tateno. Meanwhile, Dr. Cayetano Paderanga, former Philippines Socio-Economic Planning Secretary and economics professor, and Dr. Joseph Anthony Lim, economics professor, gave their comments on the Survey from the perspective of the Philippine economy.

The launch was covered by six television networks, six broadsheets, and about 10 online news sites.
Download the press review of the launch at: http://www.mediafire.com/?te8sw7rwa9hna0h
 
Watch newscasts of the Manila launch on UNIC Manila’s Youtube channel:
UN kumpiyansa sa matatag na ekonomiya ng Pilipinas. [Newscast]. PTV4 News@6, 6:00 P.M., Channel 4.
UNESCAP-- Economies in Asia_Pacific expect limited growth in 2013. [Newscast]. Solar Nightly News, 9:00 P.M., Channel 28 (Destiny Cable Channel).
Pagbabago ng macroeconomic policy paradigm binigyang diin ng Economic Survey of Asia and the Pacific 2013. [Newscast]. IBC 13 Newsteam, 11:00 P.M. Channel 13.
Public Private Partnership, makakatulong sa pag-angat ng ekonomiya ng bansa. [Newscast]. Sonshine Newsline Philippines, 7:00 A.M., Channel 97 (Destiny Cable Channel).

The UN Information Centre (UNIC) Manila utilized Facebook to promote the Google+ Hangout on Sustainable Development in Action.

On 12 February, UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs’s (DESA) Social Media Focal Point John Romana hosted the first in a series of "Sustainable Development in Action (SDC)" Google+ Hangouts, which explored key outcomes of the Rio+20 Conference and discussed how to move forward post-2015.  

Panelists, DESA Director Nikhil Seth, Executive Coordinator for the Rio+20 Conference Elizabeth Thompson, Vice-President of the International Institute for Sustainable Development Reporting Services Kimo Goree and Director of global strategy and advocacy for the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) Jacob Scherr were asked to share what they considered to be the highlights and key outcomes of the Rio+20 Summit and how the UN system is following up on commitments.

Mr. Seth emphasized that youth should be engaged in the dialogue to define the SDGs right from the start because the future belongs to them and they will be the architects of the future we want.

For her part, Ms. Thompson pointed to the Secretary-General’s Sustainable Energy For All initiative that advocates for universal access to energy, which is important for Small Island Developing States while Mr. Gori noted that Rio+20 had demonstrated multilateralism by providing a platform in which solutions to global problems could be engaged.  

Mr. Scherr cited Cloud of Commitments, which NRDC set up at Rio+20 to aggregate and track specific assurances of actions toward a low-carbon green economy, as the real legacy of the Conference. In closing, all panelists shared messages with the Hangout audience that echoed the urgency of involving citizens globally to stimulate action to achieve the future we envision.

The discussion also responded to online questions posted via social media.

The UN Information Centre (UNIC) in Manila launched a Facebook Project entitled “What This International Day Means To Me” to engage fans and create a dialogue on the work of the UN.

As part of UN outreach, International observances are held to shine a light on important issues, such as Holocaust Remembrance Day and International Women’s Day. UNIC Manila’s year-round initiative invites Facebook fans and visitors to submit a picture, photo, drawing, graphic image or a short video of themselves talking about what the featured international observance means to them.

By stimulating interaction between UNIC and its Facebook fans, communication truly becomes two-way: the Centre promotes the work of the Organization while fans share their feedback.

This win-win scenario gives followers a voice while providing UNIC with a clear picture of audiences’ understanding of the commemoration.

On 14 February, Abbey sent in the artwork above to let everyone know what International Mother Language Day means to her.

UNIC Manila marks international observances that best resonate with its Filipino audience. It calls for Facebook submissions at least two weeks prior to the International Day to give contributors enough time to compose their input.