Tokyo – Japan International Broadcasting, the distribution company of NHK’s international channels, announced a five-year partnership with the United Nations Headquarters (U.N.) in New York City which brings NHK World TV, the stand-alone, 24-hour, English-language television news and lifestyle network, to the U.N.’s In-House Network channel. The service officially launched on May 1, and the two parties held a signing ceremony at the United Nations Headquarters on June 26, to celebrate the collaboration.

NHK World TV is the first outside news channel broadcasting in High definition (HD) on the In-House Network. All United Nations staff can view the network on their desk-top computers, as well as on TV monitors in the organisation’s public spaces.

Tsuruo Mochizuki, Director General of NHK General Bureau for America, attended the signing ceremony. “The U.N. Headquarters in New York symbolises the diversity of the world’s citizens,” said Mochizuki. “It is truly important to understand others from different cultures and points of view. In this great place where mutual cooperation flourishes, even when national interests collide, we hope that NHK World TV can become a tool for the U.N. to bridge the differences in the world.”

NHK World TV provides a 24-hour programming cycle, including the network’s signature news show, NEWSLINE. In addition, a variety of perspectives on world financial affairs can be found on Asia This Week, ASIA BIZ FORECAST and ASIAN VOICES.The channel also offers a vast selection of technology, lifestyle and cultural programmes, including great gear, Seasoning the Seasons, cool japan, J-FLICKS and Dining with the chef.

The network also broadcasts an assortment of groundbreaking documentaries and specials, including Side by Side, TOMORROW, Document 72 Hours and NHK Documentary.

“We are very pleased to welcome NHK World TV to our In-House TV channel line-up,” said Michele DuBach, Deputy Director, News and Media Division, Department of Public Information at the United Nations. “News from the Asian region, as well as global news coverage from an Asian perspective, is extremely important to us. And to be able to see the channel in excellent quality HD makes it even more attractive.”

Other international news channels available on the U.N.’s In-House Network include BBC World, Al Jazeera, France 24, TV5 Monde, MSNBC and CNN International.