Hi there, <br><br>here comes the english translation of our press release - we will send it out as soon as we get the video message ready (hopefully tomorrow). Feel free to use it or improve it as you like.....<br>Catrin.<br>
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<p style="text-align: justify; line-height: normal;"><font size="2"><span style="color: black;" lang="EN-US">PRESS RELEASE</span></font></p><p style="text-align: justify; line-height: normal;">
<font size="2"><span style="color: black;" lang="EN-US">Berlin, 26 May 2011</span><span style="color: black;" lang="EN-US"> </span></font></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; line-height: normal;"><font size="2"><b><span style="color: black;" lang="EN-US"><br>
</span></b><font size="4"><b><span style="color: black;" lang="EN-US">Wikipedia for
World Heritage! </span></b></font><span lang="EN-US"></span></font></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><font size="2"><b><span style="color: black;" lang="EN-US"><br></span></b></font></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><font size="2"><b><span style="color: black;" lang="EN-US">Wikipedia founder
Jimmy Wales calls for signatures to be collected and presented to the UNESCO.</span></b><span style="color: black;" lang="EN-US"></span></font></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><font size="2"><span style="color: black;" lang="EN-US"><br></span></font></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><font size="2"><span style="color: black;" lang="EN-US">On Monday, 23 May
2011, Wikimedia Deutschland started a worldwide collection of signatures for
the <a href="http://ten.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">Wikipedia
for World Heritage!</span></a> initiative. People are invited to join the
list now by signing an <a href="http://wikipedia.de/wke/Main_Page?setlang=en" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">online form</span></a>. The list will ultimately be
presented to the <a href="http://whc.unesco.org/en/comittee" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">World Heritage Committee</span></a> at the beginning of
2012. To date more than 7000 people from over 100 countries have already signed
the petition. Each signature supports the initiative’s claim that Wikipedia as
the largest collection of human knowledge should be recognized as the first
ever global and digital World Heritage site. Altogether there are ten UNESCO
criteria for recognition as a World Heritage site. The first of those criteria demands
that World Heritage sites “represent a masterpiece of human creative genius”.
The online petition is quoting these exact words. By signing it
participants confirm that Wikipedia has universal value and that the claim is
true in its case. This petition is the starting point for a global discussion
of Wikipedia’s cultural meaning. Currently the free encyclopedia provides free
access to more than 18 million articles in over 280 languages. Since the
beginning of the new millennium Wikipedia has evolved into the collective
memory of the world. Having Wikipedia recognized as a Unesco World Heritage
site is a huge step towards preserving its cumulative knowledge for future
generations.</span></font></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><font size="2"><span style="color: black;" lang="EN-US"><br></span></font></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><font size="2"><span style="color: black;" lang="EN-US"> </span><span style="color: black;" lang="EN-US">“Millions of people take
Wikipedia for granted. They use it each and every day. Still, free access to
the sum of human knowledge is not a matter of course in many places. It is a
global challenge to recognize, support and preserve the work that hundreds of
thousands of volunteers invest in this community project. The key to free
exchange of knowledge is public recognition”, says Pavel Richter, CEO of
Wikimedia Deutschland.</span></font></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: normal;"><font size="2"><span style="color: black;" lang="EN-US"><br></span></font></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: normal;">

<font size="2"><span style="color: black;" lang="EN-US">The initiative was introduced in March 2011 at the international Wikimedia
Chapters Conference in Berlin. Chapters from all over the world will accompany
the initiative&#39;s activities regarding Wikipedia’s recognition as a World Heritage site.
Wikimedia Deutschland will entertain an expert round on the subject on 31
March 2011 at the Deutsches Technikmuseum Berlin. The event will be a public
kick-off. Further activities with the international community will
follow. Additionally, public discussion provides a chance to explain how
to deal with free knowledge and to stress its meaning for society. The
advertising agency Leo Burnett supports Wikimedia Deutschland in the
initiative’s realization.</span></font></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: normal;"><font size="2"><span style="color: black;" lang="EN-US"><br></span></font></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><font size="2"><span style="color: black;" lang="EN-US">Wikipedia founder
Jimmy Wales was the first to sign the petition. In a <a href="http://ten.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">video
statement</span></a> he calls for support of the initiative. In his appeal
Jimmy Wales puts emphasis on how important international awareness is to the
free encyclopedia: “A lot of people think of Wikipedia as a technical
phenomenon, a technical achievement. But in fact it isn&#39;t. What Wikipedia is,
is a cultural change, a cultural achievement. We are going to try to get as
many people as possible to sign the petition. Just like Wikipedia itself, the
more people we get involved, the greater the chance that we&#39;ll achieve our
goal. Please sign the petition!”</span></font></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><font size="2"><span style="color: black;" lang="EN-US"><br></span></font></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><font size="2"><span style="color: black;" lang="EN-US">Links:<br>


Petition: <a href="http://wikipedia.de/wke/Main_Page?setlang=en" target="_blank">http://wikipedia.de/wke/Main_Page?setlang=en</a><br></span></font></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><font size="2"><span style="color: black;" lang="EN-US">
International website and video statement by Jimmy Wales: </span><span style="color: black;"><a href="http://ten.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;" lang="EN-US">http://ten.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page</span></a></span><span style="color: black;" lang="EN-US"></span></font></p>



<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; line-height: normal;"><font size="2"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></font></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><font size="2"><b><span style="color: black;" lang="EN-US"><br></span></b></font></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><font size="2"><b><span style="color: black;" lang="EN-US">About the UNESCO
World Heritage:</span></b><span style="color: black;" lang="EN-US"><br>
UNESCO is the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization.
Its list of World Heritage sites currently recognizes 911 properties as parts
of the cultural and natural heritage of the world and worthy of protection. The
basis for this list is the World Heritage Convention, established in 1975. The
convention has been signed by 187 countries so far. By doing so they have
committed to protect World Heritage sites in their respective territories and
to support each other’s efforts.<br>
Further information: </span><span style="color: black;"><a href="http://whc.unesco.org/" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;" lang="EN-US">http://whc.unesco.org/</span></a></span><span style="color: black;"> <span lang="EN-US"><br>


</span></span><span style="color: black;" lang="EN-US"><br>
</span><b><span style="color: black;" lang="EN-US">About Wikimedia
Deutschland:</span></b><span style="color: black;" lang="EN-US"><br>
Wikimedia Deutschland is a non-profit organization that supports the
advancement of free knowledge. Since its foundation in 2004 the organization
has been supporting the Wikimedia projects, the most well-known of which is
Wikipedia. Wikimedia Deutschland promotes free of charge access to free
knowledge, thereby endorsing the fundamental human right to education.
Wikipedia, like its sister projects, is ad-free and independent. This is only
possible through volunteer dedication and donations.</span></font></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><font size="2"><span style="color: black;" lang="EN-US"><br></span></font></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><font size="2"><span style="color: black;" lang="EN-US">Further
information about Wikimedia Deutschland:<br>
Website: </span><span style="color: black;"><a href="http://www.wikimedia.de/" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;" lang="EN-US">www.wikimedia.de</span></a></span><span style="color: black;" lang="EN-US"> <br>
Blog: </span><span style="color: black;"><a href="http://www.blog.wikimedia.de/" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;" lang="EN-US">www.blog.wikimedia.de</span></a></span><span style="color: black;" lang="EN-US"> <br>

Twitter: </span><span style="color: black;"><a href="http://www.twitter.com/WikimediaDE" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;" lang="EN-US">www.twitter.com/WikimediaDE</span></a></span><span style="color: black;"> <span lang="EN-US"></span></span></font></p>



<p><font size="2"><span style="line-height: 115%; color: black;" lang="EN-US"><br></span></font></p><p><font size="2"><span style="line-height: 115%; color: black;" lang="EN-US">Kind regards<br>

Catrin Schoneville<br>
spokeswoman <br>
Wikimedia Deutschland e.V. </span><span style="line-height: 115%;" lang="EN-US"></span></font></p>

<p><font size="2"><span style="line-height: 115%;" lang="EN-US"> </span></font></p>

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