11 September 2001

Bonn, Germany/Stockholm, Sweden: The Swedish telecommunications corporation Ericsson has donated 280 mobile phones to the Bonn-based United Nations Volunteers programme (UNV) to help increase security of personnel in relief operations worldwide.

The mobile phones will be sent to UNV Programme Officers administering the work of UN Volunteers in 70 countries, while most of the units will be dispatched to special UNV operations in Angola, Bosnia, Democratic Republic of Congo, Croatia, East Timor, Georgia, Guinea, Sierra Leone, Tanzania and Viet Nam.

"The women and men receiving these mobile phones are at the front line in nearly all UN operations and truly represent the human face of the United Nations," said UNV Executive Coordinator Sharon Capeling-Alakija.

"Ericsson's generous provision of this equipment will assist us in our continuous efforts to increase the security of UN Volunteers in the field. The donation is also an example of how the corporate sector can contribute to peace and security through volunteer action," she said.

"We are proud today to make this donation of mobile phones as part of Ericsson's ongoing commitment to our Ericsson Response partnership with the United Nations," said John Giere, Ericsson Vice President for Branding and Market Communications.

According to Dag Nielsen, Ericsson Response Programme Director, Ericsson has been involved in numerous disaster response efforts, from providing mobile base stations to refugee camps in Kosovo to reinstalling damaged telecom equipment and providing tents to earthquake victims in Turkey. The corporation has also provided mobile phones to flood victims in Viet Nam and relief workers during earthquakes in El Salvador and India.

Through Ericsson Response, Ericsson seeks to support the quality and efficiency of the international relief work by bringing additional communications technology to be used in support of relief operations.

Further, in support of the UN General Assembly declaring 2001 as the International Year of Volunteers, Ericsson has developed an Ericsson Response Volunteer programme for its employees. Trained Ericsson Response volunteers are deployed as part of the disaster relief operations field team onsite for the purpose of establishing vital communications networks.

"We are proud to have our employees involved and committed to this cause and grateful to the UN for providing us this opportunity to contribute to their work," Mr. Giere said.