“Selling” United Nations A Challenging Task

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31783, 13 September 1968, Page 16

“Selling” United Nations A Challenging Task

"Selling” the United Nations and its activities to the man in the street in such advanced countries as Australia and New Zealand was far more challenging than he had expected, said Dr J. S. Szuszkiewicz, the director of the United Nations information centre for the two countries, in Christchurch yesterday.

For the last four years and a half, Dr Szuszkiewicz was the United Nations informa-

tion director in Burma. He took up his new appointment eight weeks ago. "In the world's developing countries, there is a better appreciation of the United Nations because the ordinary citizen is able to see its various agencies at work in their countries,” he said. “By contrast, one finds that in the more developed countries people are perhaps more aware, and more critical, of its political activities. Yet this accounts for only about 20 per cent of its work. The critics may be inclined to forget the other 80 per cent of our work

in economic and social areas.”

The purpose of Dr Szuszkiewicz’s visit to New Zealand was not to "sell” the United Nations as much as to make people aware that it was an organisation which belonged to them. His office in Sydney, in order to inform the man in the street about the United Nations work, used the United Nations associations in the various countries. Dr Szuszkiewciz said Christchurch had a very active branch, which was commendable. “The United Nations is not a perfect instrument,” he said. “But it is the best organisation of its kind we have which allows the nations of the world to get together to discuss things, and make plans for the betterment of mankind.”

After calling on the Mayor of Christchurch (Sir George Manning) yesterday afternoon, Dr Szuszkiewicz left later for Wellington.