Global Dialogue on ASTRA

Transmission of the EXPO2000 Expert Debates via Satellite

ASTRA will, from 22 August 2000, transmit the Global Dialogue conferences as part of its EXPO2000 programme. In keeping with the "Luxembourg Connects People - Planet ASTRA" motto, these broadcasts will enable the general public to actively follow discussions which focus on the key issues of our time.

The Global Dialogue is a series of top-level conferences taking place during the World Exhibition in Hanover. The conferences have been initiated by over 60 renowned international and German institutions, such as the Society for International Development (SID), the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Technische Zusammenarbeit (German Association for technical co-operation), UNESCO and many others. The debates will seek answers to the challenges of tomorrow and discuss possible solutions and innovative strategies in keeping with the EXPO2000 motto, "Human - Nature - Technology". Leading experts from the commercial, scientific, cultural and political spheres will participate in the Global Dialogue debates. The conferences, which are each held over three days, will be chaired by well-known journalists, such as Sabine Christiansen and Wolfgang Klein.

The Global Dialogue series will be broadcast via ASTRA transponder 108. The first conference to be transmitted on 22 August is "Fighting Poverty - Social Innovations and New Coalitions". The following six conferences, which will be held before the end of the EXPO2000 in October, will look at other globally relevant topics, such as "The Role of the Village in the 21st Century", "Building Learning Societies" and "Future Works". The Global Dialogue broadcasts will extend the existing EXPO programme on ASTRA, which already includes the EXPO-magazine from the international TV-channel WETV and the daily Luxembourgish RTL programme. Now, over 70 free-to-air digital TV programmes, in 11 languages, are transmitted via ASTRA at 19.2° East.

The only requirement for receiving the Global Dialogue series and all other free-to-air digital programmes via ASTRA is a digital set-top-box and a satellite dish equipped with a universal LNB pointed at 19.2° East. Owners of existing digital set-top-boxes can either automatically or manually re-tune their receivers to view the Global Dialogue on ASTRA transponder number 108 (frequency 12.5510 GHz; vertical polarisation, FEC 5/6, symbol rate 22 Msym/s).

The conferences of the Global Dialogue are broadcast via ASTRA at 2.30 p.m. on the following dates:

22 - 24 August	Fighting Poverty - Social Innovations and New Coalitions
29 - 31 August	The Role of the Village in the 21st Century - Crops, Jobs and Livelihood
5 - 7 September	Health - The Key to Human Development
19 - 21 September	Building Learning Societies - Knowledge, Information and Human Development
26 - 28 September	Culture on the Move
10 - 12 October	Future Works - Labour, Sustainable Business and Social Responsibility
24 - 26 October	Shaping a Future of Global Partnership

For further information please contact:

SES / ASTRA
Jean-Paul Hoffmann
Corporate Communications Manager
Tel: (+352) 710 725 235

EXPO2000 / Global Dialogue
Dr. Johann-Richard Hänsel
Tel: (+49) 511 8404 601