PI/1349

22 May 2001

ITALIAN COMPANY PROVIDES FOOTWEAR FOR UNITED NATIONS GUIDES AT HEADQUARTERS AND IN GENEVA

The United Nations has accepted a donation of footwear for its international team of tour guides from the renowned Italian shoe company, Valleverde. This is the first time that shoes have been donated for the United Nations guiding staff.

The elegant and comfortable shoes will complement the new uniforms which are to be provided by an Italian fashion house later in the year. The tens of thousands of visitors who come to the United Nations Headquarters in New York and the United Nations Office in Geneva can expect to see the guides' stylish new look when the complete outfit is introduced at a special launch this summer.

The shoes provided by Valleverde to the United Nations tour guides come from the company's classic line. They meet all requirements for comfort and style that are important in the guides' work as "ambassadors to the public", as they spend hours on their feet each day, guiding visitors through the United Nations Headquarters in New York and the Palais des Nations in Geneva.

The Guided Tours Unit, part of the United Nations Department of Public Information, offers tours in over 20 languages, more than any other tour operation in New York. At United Nations Headquarters, guided tours are conducted every day of the year, except on Thanksgiving Day, the year-end holidays, Eid Al-Ahda, Eid Al-Fitr, and weekends in January and February. Up to 3,000 visitors take the tour every day. During the hour-long lecture tour, guides answer a myriad of questions about the role of the United Nations in current events and describe the unique collection of artwork on display throughout the tour route. In Geneva, tours in 18 languages are offered seven days a week from April to October and five days a week from November to March.

Since the beginning of the tour operation in 1952, close to 37 million visitors have taken a guided tour at United Nations Headquarters. In Geneva, almost three million visitors have toured the Palais des Nations since 1976.

For more information on United Nations guided tours, please contact: Ms. Helene Hoedl, Guided Tours Unit, New York, Telephone: (1) 212-963-3242, Fax: (1) 212-963-0071, E-mail: hoedl@un.org, or visit www.un.org/tours; Mr. Victor Fernandez, Visitors' Service, Geneva, Telephone: (41) 22-917-4894, Fax: (41) 22-917-0032, E-mail: vfernandez@unog.ch, or visit www.unog.ch/visit/visten.htm.

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