Leading
Bloggers Go Live At the UN Millions to Learn about UN and Climate
Change Online
NEW YORK,
NY (September 24, 2007) – The United
Nations Foundation, in partnership with UN
Dispatch (www.undispatch.com),
announced today that leading online bloggers
are, for the first time, covering a major
United Nations meeting. The bloggers, invited
by the UN Foundation, are on-hand to access
and observe the UN Secretary-General’s
high-level event on climate change, “The
Future In Our Hands: Addressing the Leadership
Challenge of Climate Change”, taking
place today at the UN headquarters in New
York.
“This is a ground breaking day at the
UN,” said David Harwood, Senior Vice
President, Public Affairs at the UN Foundation.
“For the first time, leading bloggers
will be at the UN headquarters to observe
a high-level dialogue and describe the proceedings
to the world – live and online. This
is opening a new window on cooperation between
the United Nations and civil society. We hope
this step portends even greater understanding
of how the UN works and enhances dialogue
between the UN and citizens around the world.”
“This also signals the UN’s move
into Web 2.0,” said Harwood. “By
welcoming some of the nation’s top bloggers
into the UN to cover this historic session
on climate change, the UN is further demonstrating
its openness, transparency, and understanding
of the new ways in which people are communicating
all over the world.”
Together these bloggers reach an audience
of more than 6 million people a month, all
over the world. Participants in the “blog
day” hosted by the UN Foundation at
the UN are: Brian Beutler, Gristmill.grist.com;
Jasmin Chua, Treehugger.com; Mark Goldberg,
UN Dispatch.com; Blake Hounshell, ForeignPolicy.com;
Joel Johnson, gadgets.boingboing.net; Ezra
Klein, www.prospect.org/weblog; Sameer Lalwani,
The Washington Note.com; Juliana Rotich, Global
Voices Online.com; Kate Sheppard, stopglobalwarming.msn.com;
Kay Steiger, Campus Progress.org; and Matthew
Yglesias, matthewyglesias.theatlantic.com.
The event was designed in coordination with
the United Nations and the International Academy
of Digital Arts and Sciences. Bloggers will
be posting live all day from their individual
sites and from www.undispatch.com.
