Info

Chapter 10: Civilian Organisation and Structures The Office of Information and Press The Office of Information and Press consists of a Press and Media Service and an Information Service divided into a Planning and Publications Section, a NATO Country Relations Section and an Outreach and Partner Relations Section. The Office has an Information and Documentation Centre in Kyiv and an Information Office in Moscow. The Director of Information and Press is Chairman of the Committee on Information and Cultural Relations. The Press Spokesman and Press and Media Service issue official statements on behalf of the Alliance and the Secretary General and arrange on the record and background briefings for journalists. The Press and Media Service arranges accreditation for journalists; issues written communiqués and speeches by the Secretary General; and provides a daily press review and press cutting service for the staff of the NATO Headquarters in Brussels. It organises media interviews with the Secretary General and other NATO officials and provides technical assistance and facilities for radio and television transmissions. The Office of Information and Press assists member governments and Partner countries to widen public understanding of NATO's role and policies through a variety of programmes and activities. These make use of periodical and non-periodical publications, video production, photographs and exhibitions, group visits, conferences and seminars and research fellowships. The Office includes a Library and Documentation Service, a Media Library and a Distribution Unit. The Office maintains close contacts with national information authorities and non-governmental organisations and undertakes activities designed to explain the aims and achievements of the Alliance to public opinion in each member country. It also organises or sponsors a number of multinational programmes involving citizens of different member countries and, in conjunction with NATO's Partner countries, undertakes information activities designed to enhance public knowledge and understanding of the Alliance in the countries represented in the Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council and in the Mediterranean Cooperation Group.