Visitors learned more about UN at the 31st Tehran International Book Fair

All parts of a nation’s culture are rooted in the books, Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance Dr. Abbas Salehi said at the opening ceremony of the 31st Tehran International Book Fair, which was held at the Imam Khomeini Mosalla (Prayer ground) during 2-12 May 2018 under the theme “No to Not Reading Book”, AVA Diplomatic reports.

Vice-President Es’haq Jahangiri attended the closing ceremony, during which a number of publishers were honored for their strong performances at the event.   H. E. Mr. Jahangiri called books “basic necessities of life”.

Over 2,500 Iranian publishers showcased their latest offerings at the event. Publishers from over 50 countries, including Austria, China, Germany, Hungary, and Iraq took part in the fair. Serbia was the special guest of the 31st Tehran International Book Fair. In addition, Tunis, the capital of Tunisia, was the guest city of the fair.”

During the Fair, many people visited the UN booth, where UN information materials including books, reports, pamphlets, flyers, CDs, videos and posters were displayed and given to public.  UNIC interns and other UN colleagues actively explain to the visitors work and achievements of UN in Iran.  Ms. Nazanin Ghaemmaghami, UNIC Reference Assistant gave interview to IRNA, Iran Press News Agency and Navid Sobh online news.

The success of UN booth was due to the presence of the following nine UN Agencies: Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), UN Development Programme (UNDP), UN Population Fund (UNFPA), UN Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat), UN Information Centre (UNIC), United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), UN Industrial Organization (UNIDO), UN Office on Drug and Crime (UNODC) and World Health Organization (WHO).

“It’s a great opportunity to promote UN values and its work in Iran and to enjoy the direct and open dialogue with the public,” said Ms. Ghaemmaghami. “The UN booth was well visible because of the enthusiastic efforts of UN agencies’ staff, UNIC interns and volunteers. We really appreciate the support of the organizers of the Fair, the Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Culture and Islamic Guidance, that provided UN with the prominent venue for UN booth and we are looking forward to future cooperation,” Ghaemmaghami added.

UNIC Tehran has been coordinating the participation of the UN Agencies at the Tehran International Book Fair for fifteenth years.