UN Day 2004 activities in Tokyo will start at 1:00 PM with opening remarks by UNU Senior Vice-Rector Ramesh Thakur, a video message from United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan, and congratulatory remarks by a Japanese Government representative. Ms. Mari Christine, Goodwill Ambassador for UN-HABITAT, will act as Master of Ceremonies.

The U Thant Distinguished Lecture will be delivered by Ms. Tarja Halonen, President of the Republic of Finland. The topic of President Halonen's lecture will be "Toward a Fair Globalization: A Finnish Perspective." Then, Prof. Masatsune Katsuno of Keisen University will deliver the UN Day 2004 keynote address, "Message for Young People Wishing to Join the UN System". Representatives of seven UN agencies - ILO, UNDP, UNHCR, UNICEF, WFP, UNV/UNOPS, and WHO Centre for Health Development - will then give presentations on "Working for the UN: Reports from the Field", moderated by journalist Mr. Jiro Hirano. Following a question and answer session with Prof. Katsuno and the agency representatives, there will be music and a talk by singer/songwriter Ms. Eri Takenaka. The celebration will close with a reception from 5:45 to 7:00 PM. Attendees can also attend their choice of a UN agency workshop and view agency displays in the UN Gallery.

Simultaneous English-Japanese interpretation will be provided for the UN Day events. The public is invited to attend, but advance registration (by 14 October) is required. A programme and registration form are available online at http://archive.unu.edu/hq/public-lectures/unday/2004. For inquiries, please contact the UN Day 2004 Secretariat (tel: 03-3499-2811, fax: 03-3499-2828, e-mail: unday2004@hq.unu.edu). Media representatives are welcome. A copy of the tentative programme is attached for your reference.