UNEP materials for WWD 1999
On behalf of all the United Nations agencies, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) is preparing materials for WWD 1999, such as television documentaries for global broadcast on TVE's Earth Report on BBC World Service, a television news release, and written materials. A major international event on the WWD theme will take place in Cairo, Egypt on 22 March.
The materials will comprise the following:
Television Documentaries
- “Everyone Lives Downstream” a documentary on human - water interdependence in river basins, from their source to the sea:
This documentary focuses on river basins on four continents, focusing on the theme of everyone living downstream. The film creates a symbolic river, with sequences filmed in the Tibetan plateau, the Colombian highlands, and on the Nile, Euphrates and Rhine Rivers. Among other messages, it illustrates how human actions and activities in one part of a river basin can profoundly impact human actions and activities, as well as the state of the environment, in other parts of the river basin. The film highlights the critical challenges that will face the international community, especially those countries already experiencing 'water stress'. It also features developments that address the need for better management of our freshwater resources.
“Everyone Lives Downstream” was produced by the editorially-independent Television Trust for the Environment (TVE), in cooperation with UNEP and other UN agencies. It is scheduled for global broadcast on 8 March (1630h and 2030h GMT) and 9 March (0530h, 0830h and 1205h GMT) 1999 on TVE's Earth Report slot on BBC World Television, which reaches 135 million homes in 111 countries. It will also be distributed and re-broadcast through the TVE network of video resource centres worldwide.
- “Still Waters” a documentary on the importance of the world's wetland areas.
This film focuses on management of the world's endangered wetland areas - our marshes, bogs, mangroves, lakes, etc. Wetlands can be key components of river basin management programmes. The film demonstrates that, while humans continue to drain and build on wetland areas, many countries are beginning to appreciate the economic value of maintaining these waterlogged areas of exceptional diversity, and which perform some vital services free-of-charge to humanity.
“Still Waters” will be broadcast on 12 April 1999 on the same venue and times as listed above for “Everyone Lives Downstream”.
The audio track for “Everyone Lives Downstream” will be posted on the UNEP and TVE web sites, and will be available for downloading by the second week of March 1999. It will also be distributed to a global radio station subscriber network through the London Radio Service located at APTN's London headquarters. Information on the audio track for "Still Waters" will be available at a later date.
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Also on TVE's site:
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For more information on the documentaries and the audio tracks, contact TVE
Television News Release
In cooperation with UNEP, TVE will produce a 5-8 minute television news release, focusing on World Water Day. It will be accompanied by up to 15 minutes of 'B' roll footage. Agencies broadcasting the video news release footage include the London-based global satellite news agencies APTN (formerly WTN and APTV), Reuters, EBU, CNN (London bureau), ITN, BBC Euronews, etc.
Both the television news release and a quick-time video (VDO) "taster" will be available by the second week of March 1999 on both the UNEP and TVE web sites (respectively, www.unep.org and www.tve.org).
Written Materials/Publications
The written materials prepared for WWD 1999 will include:
- A compendium of relevant information on freshwater resources available from UN agencies (films, videos, books, brochures, etc.), as well as the contact points for requesting this information. available by the second week of March 1999, it can be requested by e-mail from UNEP's Distribution Service.
- A press release being prepared by the public relations firm of Hoffman and Hoffman (Washington, D.C.), in cooperation with United Nations University (UNU) and UNEP. It will focus specifically on the WWD 1999 theme, and will contain both print and television interviews with 20-25 prominent individuals, both within and outside the UN system. The press release will be embargoed for global distribution on World Day for Water (22 March 1999).
Events On World Day For Water
A major international programme on the WWD theme will take place in Cairo, Egypt, on 22 March 1999. A number of UN agencies will participate in this programme. Additional activities on the WWD theme are anticipated on the part of Governments and other stakeholders throughout the world on this day.