United Nations Information Office in Georgia

"The United Nations cannot achieve the purposes for which it has been created unless the peoples of the world are fully informed of its aims and activities. In order to insure that peoples in all parts of the world receive as full information as possible about the United Nations, the Department of Public Information should consider the establishment of branch offices at the earliest practicable date." [A/Res/13(I), 1946 Annex.].

This statement is as valid today as it was in 1946 when the General Assembly set out the terms of reference for the activities of the UN Department of Public Information (UN/DPI). The first nine United Nations Information Centres (UNICs) were established in 1946-1947 [JIU/REP/79/10].  Today, the network of 63 United Nations information centres (UNICs), services (UNIS) and offices (UNOs) link the UN Headquarters with people around the world.

The UN Information Office (UNO), a branch office of the New York headquartered UN Department of Public Information (UN/DPI), was established in Georgia in 1993, following the country’s formal entry into the United Nations (31st July 1992).  Over the years UNO has set up scores of educational and public information projects across Georgia.

The main goal of UNO is to promote to the greatest possible extent an informed understanding of the work and purposes of the United Nations, UN system programmes, services, and development issues; advocate adherence to international conventions and global conference commitments and international celebration days; and share information among UN system as well as with other stakeholders.

UNO promotes the work and purposes of the United Nations by disseminating information to and by organizing activities and events in cooperation with local media, governmental and non-governmental organizations, educational institutions and other local partners.

Responding to different needs for United Nations information, the UNO provides up-to-date public information materials on the aims and activities of the United Nations in political, economic, social and humanitarian fields to a diverse local audience.

One of the key areas of the work of UNO is reproduction of UN publications in Georgian and making sure that  information products are tailored in such a way  to best suit Georgia ’s priorities.

UNO also builds sustainable alliances with media. In addition to its role of disseminating information (press releases, media statements, supplements, advertorials, sponsored messages, pull-outs, op-eds, various background information), UNO arranges press briefings, launches, field trips and trainings for journalists. The UN Media Club - an informal establishment for the journalists interested in covering the UN activities in Georgia - was set up back in 2005 at the initiative of the UNO. In the past the UN Media Club meetings, held on ad-hoc basis, were primarily used as a forum to discuss relevant issues affecting the United Nations. As a member of the UN Media Club, journalists had access to the latest and most relevant news and information from the United Nations.  Moreover, the UN Media Club provided journalists with the perfect forum for spreading their own information out to an audience of like-minded professionals.

Since 2006 the UNO has led the UN Communications Group comprised of communication specialists of all the United Nations system in Georgia. It aims at strengthening inter-Agency cooperation in the field of communications and to increase media profile of the UN activities at the national and regional level.

Head of Agency:

Mr. Jamie McGoldrick,
UN Resident Coordinator

Contact Person:
Ms. Keti Ghioshvili
9, Eristavi St., 0179 Tbilisi, Georgia
Tel.: + 995 32 225 1126 ext. 136
 Fax: + 995 32 225 0271/72
 E-mail: uno.tbilisi@unic.org; ketevan.ghioshvili@unic.org