Puppet Planet

Project open for partnership

Be climate-wise and care for your planet

Puppet Planet is an initiative being launched by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), a United Nations Specialized Agency (www.wmo.int), together with the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), a permanent body of the United Nations General Assembly (www.unctad.org). The overarching goal of the project is to encourage science-based action to address climate challenges, while promoting sustainable economies and creative industries in developing countries.

By using puppets and new media technologies, the show is intended to reach a broad audience of all ages. The script will be adapted from We Care for Our Climate, a WMO children’s book that was published in 2004 and has been translated into more than 20 languages.

The project is designed as an animation show, mixing the artistry and techniques of traditional puppet theatre with state-of-the-art multimedia technologies. Puppet Planet is designed, executed, directed and performed by Liviu Berehoi, a renowned director and actor-puppeteer, and his team (www.liviu-berehoi.eu).

The title “Puppet Planet” is a metaphor for how the planet has been manipulated by human beings, just as a puppet is by the puppeteer. The central message is that it is now time to steer our planet towards a sustainable future.

The puppet show will last approximately one hour. It will be performed in English and French. Two performances, one in each language, are planned as part of the project, on the occasion of the 16th World Meteorological Congress, which is to be held from 16 May to 3 June 2011 in Geneva, Switzerland. There are excellent opportunities to link Puppet Planet with other global initiatives and conferences, such as the Rio Earth Summit 2012. Conceived for non-conventional spaces, the show will be able to accommodate requests from governments, schools, partners from the private sector and civil society at large.

Financial support is being sought for covering production costs of CHF 80 000, in part or in total, preferably by 31 January 2011. Partnerships will be duly acknowledged. Within the limits of available resources, a video clip will be produced for the WMO and UNCTAD Websites and for YouTube. A DVD will be shared with national delegations as well. Training of young puppeteers in developing countries is envisaged as a creative channel to help promote climate literacy.

For more information, please contact:
Communications and Public Affairs Office, WMO
Tel: 41 (0) 22 730 83 14/15 – Fax: 41 (0) 22 730 80 27 – E-mail:cpa[at]wmo.int
or:

Ms Edna Dos Santos, Chief, Creative Economy Programme, UNCTAD
Tel: 41 (0) 22 917 57 79
Fax: 41 (0) 22 917 00 44
E-mail: edna.dos.santos[at]unctad.org

With the support of:

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