UNITED NATIONS -- The United Nations is taking part in the upcoming Beijing Olympics through the presence of high-level officials and programs to made the games more environmentally-friendly, UN spokesperson Michele Montas said Tuesday.
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's Special Adviser on Sport for Development and Peace Wilfried Lemke will represent the secretary-general at the Beijing Summer Olympic Games, Montas told a press briefing at the UN Headquarters.
Lemke will attend the opening ceremony on Friday, along with UNESCO Director General Koichiro Matsuura and UN Environment Program (UNEP) Executive Director Achim Steiner, Montas said, adding that Steiner will also participate in the Olympic Torch Relay.
Montas said that UN agencies have been participating in the lead-up to the games as well. The World Meteorological Organization, for example, is coordinating efforts by China and other nations to provide timely and accurate weather information. The forecasts will improve the prediction of high-impact weather near Olympic venues.
UNEP has been working with the Beijing Olympic Committee for the last three years to help make the games environmentally- friendly, said the spokesperson.
The Chinese government has spent US$17 billion on efforts to "green" the games and the city of Beijing has also imposed tougher emissions standards and expanded its public transport network, including by introducing nearly 4,000 buses powered by compressed natural gas, she said.
The Olympic venues themselves will obtain 20 percent of their energy from wind, while the Bird's Nest stadium has an advanced rainwater recycling system, Montas said, quoting a press release from UNEP.
Also, the UN Refugee Agency is encouraging athletes and national Olympic Committees to give their surplus sportswear to refugees, she noted.
UNHCR has set a goal of collecting 50,000 pieces of sports clothing for its "Giving Is Winning" campaign. Items collected so far have been distributed to refugees in Rwanda, Tanzania, Chad, Moldova, Georgia and Panama.