HIGHLIGHTS OF PRESS CONFERENCE BY DIRECTOR-GENERAL OF UNOG AND AMBASSADOR OF SPAIN TO THE UNITED NATIONS OFFICE AT GENEVA ABOUT THE HUMAN RIGHTS AND ALLIANCE OF CIVILIZATIONS ROOM

Sergei Ordzhonikidze, the Director-General of the United Nations Office at Geneva, and Javier Garrigues, the Ambassador of Spain to the United Nations Office at Geneva, briefed journalists at the Palais des Nations about the Human Rights and Alliance of Civilizations Room and, especially, on the inclusion of the Room in the guided tour of the Palais des Nations.

Mr. Ordzhonikidze said that this week the Human Rights and Alliance of Civilizations Room would be formally delivered to the United Nations. He expressed his gratefulness to the Government and people of Spain, to Miquel Barceló, the artist of the piece of art, and to ONUART for their very impressive and practical gift. Mr. Ordzhonikidze said that the Office was looking forward to host meetings in this Room on various issues and to provide its users with state-of-the-art technology. He also said that the Room had now been included in the guided tour of the Palais des Nations from 8 April onwards.

Marie Heuzé, the Director of the United Nations Information Service at Geneva, said that an average of 1,500 people per day had visited the Palais des Nations during the Easter weekend.

Mr. Ordzhonikidze said that the Human Rights and Alliance of Civilizations Room was now part of the shared heritage of the international community. The contribution made by Spain, as well as the rooms refurbished by other Member States, were part of the overall maintenance efforts of the Palais des Nations but they could not substitute a full structural renovation of the building.

Mr. Ordzhonikidze concluded by expressing his sincere gratitude to the Permanent Mission of Spain for the excellent collaboration throughout the realization of this unprecedented project.

Mr. Garrigues said that the Room's test period had been successful. The voting system, the acoustics and the audiovisual facilities that included integrated webcast derived from a-state-of-the-art technology and reflected the perfect functioning of the Room. The flexible format of the Room allowed its use for conferences, ECOSOC meetings and also for the Security Council. Mr. Garrigues added that the Room also complied with environmental standards and offered easy access to the disabled.

Mr. Garrigues said that the Room illustrated the commitment of Spain to multilateralism and that it would also reinforce the Human Rights Council. He noted that the Room had raised great interest in the world of art and culture. It had even been considered as a piece of art of the twenty-first century.

Mr. Garrigues quoted Louise Arbour, the former High Commissioner for Human Rights, who had said, during a conference at the University of Geneva this month, that the work of Barceló underlined multiplicity in unity as well as the difference of viewpoints in uniformity. Thus, the Room was an ideal place for negotiations. Mr. Garrigues stressed the willingness of Spain that the Room be opened to a greater number of visitors; the Room was a treasure that should not only be opened to diplomats.

Mr. Garrigues also wished that the effort made by the Spanish Government would serve as an example for other Member States to further collaborate in the maintenance of the Palais des Nations.

Mr. Garrigues concluded his remarks by wishing that Spanish contemporary art be considered as a tool in the service of multilateralism.