Leading Bloggers Go Live At the UN

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.

Press Contact:
Katherine Miller, UN Foundation
(c) 202.247.7280
(e) kmiller@unfoundation.org