FIAT/IFTA World Conference
New-York, 16th-20th September 2005
"Opening up our archives"

Message from Mr Shashi Tharoor, Under-Secretary-General for Public Information and Communications, United Nations

Shashi Tharoor

The message was read by Mrs Susan Farkas, Chief Radio and Television Service, News and Media Division, Department of Public Information

Ladies and Gentlemen,

At United Nations Headquarters, Heads of State and Government have been meeting to debate the critical issues of the day: global efforts to reduce poverty, means to address new threats to peace and security, and new definitions of the way forward for the international community.

Part of my job has been to ensure that the more than 3000 journalists who have been covering this stellar event have what they need to tell the people of the world what is going on in New York. And I think we can claim some success.

What the Under-Secretary-General is referring to is the service our Department provides to broadcasters: we supply video feeds of everything going on in the House, up to four feeds at a time.

But one thing we all know about television - even though it is perhaps the most powerful means of grabbing people's attention - is that it has a very short memory. Even the most detailed coverage is gone tomorrow. TV can report and explain historical moments, but unless care is taken, and resources and thought are employed, all that will be left tomorrow is a vague impression of what went on. Clearly, given the power of the media in the modern world, unless we take conservation and preservation seriously it will be extremely difficult for future generations to understand what it was that made us excited, or angry or simply aware.

At the UN, we have, at times, failed to take as seriously as we should our responsibility to preserve the global heritage that we broadcast. But this is changing. And one sign of that change is that the UN is represented at this conference by officials who are directly responsible for our audio-visual products - and are entrusted not only with producing first class television, but also with preserving it.

It takes vision to understand the importance that the past and the present will have for the future. Thank you for having that vision. Good luck with your discussions. May they lead to vital collaborations and important exchanges of information.

Shashi Tharoor