CANNES: The United Nations (UN) has started a satellite feed UNIFEED, offering free video stories to television news broadcasters, which will be available on the Global Video Wire of APTN, the world's largest news agency.

The 10-minute UNIFEED transmission from the UN headquarters in New York features professionally shot stories and expert interviews on a variety of international issues, often featuring countries rarely visited by broadcast journalists. It complements UNTV's live daily coverage of meetings and events at the UN headquarters.

The stories focus on pressing international issues such as HIV/AIDS, conflict resolution, poverty and the environment and highlight efforts by the UN and its agencies to tackle them.

The UNIFEED was conceived by the UNICEF and the UN's department of public information in response to a growing demand for video material from the developing world. Contributors to UNIFEED will include UNTV, UNICEF and other major agencies of the UN including the UN Development Programme (UNDP), the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the World Bank, the UN Environmental Programme (UNEP) and the World Health Organisation (WHO), among others.

UNIFEED is transmitted on APTN's Global Video Wire to more than 500 broadcasters.