TELEVISION CAN, AND MUST, SERVE AS LINK BETWEEN UNITED NATIONS AND WORLD'S PEOPLES, SECRETARY-GENERAL TELLS WORLD TV FORUM
Press Release
SG/SM/6111
PI/979
TELEVISION CAN, AND MUST, SERVE AS LINK BETWEEN UNITED NATIONS AND WORLD'S PEOPLES, SECRETARY-GENERAL TELLS WORLD TV FORUM
19961121 This is the text of the statement by Secretary-General Boutros Boutros- Ghali to the United Nations World Television Forum, which began at Headquarters this morning:It is my pleasure to inaugurate the World Television Forum. This is an extremely important gathering of television personalities and communications experts, and it is fitting that it should be held at the United Nations.
I should like, on my own behalf, and on behalf of the United Nations, to place on record my sincere gratitude to the Government of Italy, to Minister Lamberto Dini, and to RAI (Radiotelevisione Italiana) for agreeing to sponsor this important conference.
I am also most grateful to Ambassador Francesco Paolo Fulci for his constant support of this project. To Enzo Siciliano, Chairman of RAI, and to Letizia Moratti, I express my sincere thanks for their dynamism and vision in bringing this ambitious project to fruition.
Allow me to share with you some reflections on the importance of television for the United Nations.
First, as a means of outreach. The United Nations is an Organization of sovereign States. But it derives its ultimate legitimacy from its reflection of the hopes, the aspirations and the dreams of the people, in whose name it was founded.
For many, however, the United Nations is a place of protocol and diplomacy, of bureaucracy, of meetings, agendas and resolutions. This is only one aspect of reality however. The United Nations belongs to its peoples. It must be open to the world, transparent to its peoples.
Since taking office, I have attempted to involve peoples, not only States, in the work of the United Nations. I have encouraged the participation of non- governmental organizations in the cycle of world conferences and summits. I have welcomed the representatives of civil society, and the United Nations Headquarters has received a record number of visitors.
I therefore see television playing a major role in opening the United Nations to the world, in enhancing its transparency, in carrying its message to all peoples. Television can, and it must, serve as a privileged link between the United Nations and the peoples of the world.
Second, the images carried by television affect the work of the United Nations. I have often remarked that television is the sixteenth member of the Security Council. I am convinced that the impact of television images, especially current affairs and news programmes have a considerable bearing on public opinion. And today, the weight of public opinion is a recognized influence in policy-making.
Decisions about which stories to cover, and for how long, have a real and lasting impact on the course of international events. Whether in Ethiopia in 1984, or Bosnia and Herzegovina in 1994, television has had -- and will have -- a vital role in focusing world attention on the need for urgent action and a swift international response.
However, it is important that television coverage serves not only to mobilize public opinion in a crisis. We are faced, here, with a dilemma. Very often, news coverage is understood as a series of brief images of high dramatic intensity.
However, the risk there is to create a culture of the moment, a series of instantaneous reactions, without the analysis and the debate necessary to understand the many complex dimensions of various problems. Quantity of information has too often been emphasized at the expense of quality of analysis. And technological advance has outpaced the capacity of national governments and international organizations to define, recognize and protect the public interest.
The challenge today is to harness the immediacy and emotional power of television in the service of greater knowledge and understanding of world events. The cultural, economic and political impact of media globalization demands an informed and considered response from us all.
Third, a particularly important issue is the question of access to information. The revolution in telecommunications is a global phenomenon. Instant access to a range of information has created a potential for learning undreamt of a generation ago. Enormous new opportunities now exist for governments, businesses, interest groups and individual citizens. Valuable new tools are now available for challenging ignorance and prejudice, and for enhancing international understanding.
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There has never been so much media choice. People have never had so much access to news and information of domestic and international events. Yet, with the availability of information, the question of the direction of information is crucial. To what extent is information truly global?
It is essential that information not flow in one direction only. Especially through satellite technology, television programmes are seen in the homes of developing countries, carrying images of a lifestyle that few, even in the wealthier countries can hope to attain.
How are these images perceived in the developing world?
To what extent do they impact on local culture, tradition and sensitivities?
To what extent is there a flow of information, pictures of different lifestyles in the reverse direction, from the South to the North?
Only with a true globalization of information can there be the beginnings of a cross-fertilization of sensitivities and understanding of the other.
I have put forward some of my reflections and concerns over the state of television in a globalizing world. I look forward to your debates on these, and other, issues.
I am confident that, in this World Television Forum, you can contribute to an essential function, perhaps the essential function of the United Nations: to promote understanding, mutual respect, and tolerance among all peoples. So, it is truly in this regard that I am honoured to welcome you all to your United Nations.
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