ASSEMBLY WOULD ASK SECRETARY-GENERAL TO CONTINUE IMPLEMENTING ALREADY MANDATED ACTIVITIES, BY TEXT APPROVED IN INFORMATION COMMITTEE

Press Release
PI/1038

ASSEMBLY WOULD ASK SECRETARY-GENERAL TO CONTINUE IMPLEMENTING ALREADY MANDATED ACTIVITIES, BY TEXT APPROVED IN INFORMATION COMMITTEE

Inability of Committee to Complete Task on Reform Of United Nations Information Activities Would Be Noted

The General Assembly would take note that the Committee on Information had been unable, during its 1997 session, to complete its task relating to United Nations public information policies and activities, under a draft resolution approved this morning by the Committee without a vote. The annual text, which generally provides a detailed public information mandate for the Organization, this year asks the Secretary-General "to continue to implement already mandated activities".

The Committee, whose work this year was directly affected by the process of United Nations reform, had decided to split its annual session so it might receive and consider the Secretary-General's proposals on reform of United Nations public information activities. Although the Committee engaged in extensive consultations on the matter, it was unable to provide a detailed response in time for consideration of the issue next week by the Assembly's Fourth Committee (Special Political and Decolonization).

Meeting today to begin the process of approving its draft report to the Assembly, many members of the Committee expressed concern about the manner in which it had conducted its work this year. The Committee was completing its session with only a vague idea about how to address the priority issue of reform, the representative of Algeria said. Its silence on the matter could be seen as a green light to all proposed reforms, he added.

The Committee's inability to address those questions was disappointing and its relative silence was a matter of concern, the representative of Jamaica agreed. The dynamism of information was impatient of formal and rigid structures, he said. The Committee must adjust its working methods to be more dynamic in its response.

The representative of the Netherlands, however, stressed that the Committee's inability to complete its work had been the result of circumstances, not a failure to reach agreement. Its report to the Assembly should not give the impression that it had been frivolous in carrying out its duties.

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Also this morning, the Committee approved a draft resolution on information in the service of humanity, by which the Assembly would urge all countries, United Nations bodies and others concerned to cooperate with a view to reducing disparities in information flows at all levels by increasing assistance for development of the communication infrastructures and capabilities of developing countries.

The Assembly would urge that they ensure for journalists the free and effective performance of their professional tasks, and strengthen training programmes for developing country broadcasters and journalists. They would also be urged to assist in establishing and promoting telecommunication links at the subregional, regional and interregional levels, and in facilitating developing countries' access to advance communications technology available in the open market. The text was approved without a vote.

Statements were also made by the representatives of Egypt, Brazil, Cuba, Belarus, China, Pakistan and Syria. The representative of Belarus, as Rapporteur, introduced the Committee's draft report. At the request of several representatives, Assistant Secretary-General for Public Information, Samir Sanbar, made a brief statement, indicating that he would provide a more thorough response in his address to the Fourth Committee next week.

The Committee on Information will meet again at 10 a.m. on Monday, 14 November, to complete the process of approving its draft report and to conclude the work of its current session.

Committee Work Programme

The Committee on Information met this morning to continue its resumed 1997 session, which was suspended after one meeting on 3 September to give delegations more time for consultations on proposals by the Secretary-General for reorientation of the United Nations public information activities. The Committee was expected to continue with the preparation and adoption of its report to the General Assembly.

Before the Committee was the draft report on its current session (document A/AC/198/1997/L.1), the first part of which was held from 13 to 19 May. It summarizes the Committee's consideration of the report of the Task Force on the Reorientation of United Nations Public Information Activities.

The draft report indicates that substantive questions on the Committee's agenda included the following: (a) the promotion of the establishment of a new and more effective world information and communication order intended to strengthen peace and international understanding and based on the free circulation and wider and better-balanced dissemination of information; (b) the continuation of United Nations public information policies and activities, in the light of the evolution of international relations, and of the need to establish the new international economic order and the new world information and communication order; and (c) the evaluation and follow-up of the efforts made and the progress achieved by the United Nations system in the field of information and communications.

In taking up the substantive questions before the Committee, one speaker said the Department of Public Information must use its mandate to play a primary, rather than subsidiary, role in generating support for development worldwide. In that connection, another delegation observed that the public information programme was as substantive as the Organization's economic, humanitarian or any other programme and that the Department was definitely not an administrative or support service. Several other speakers supported that view.

One delegation, speaking on behalf of a large group, said the Department of Public Information should advise other departments and missions on how to integrate an information outreach policy into their substantive work. Another delegation, also speaking for a large group, said that the free flow of accurate and up-to-date information, taking into account the linguistic diversity of the United Nations, must remain the primary function of the Department and that the dissemination of relevant information about the Organization and its programmes should continue to be a core activity of the Department, particularly in developing countries.

Many delegations, including one that spoke on behalf of a number of others, stressed the critical importance of the information component in United Nations peacekeeping missions and strongly supported the involvement of

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the Department at the earliest stages of planning them. One speaker believed that peacekeeping was a key area for effective dissemination of information and supported the Secretary-General's call for "preventive journalism".

Many speakers expressed support for the preservation and strengthening of the United Nations information centres and regretted any resource reductions to the detriment of their programmes. One speaker, on behalf of a group, said the United Nations must have "a voice and a face" in countries and regions around the world and that the information centres were a key part of the Organization's outreach.

A number of speakers pointed to the continuing importance of a new world information and communication order, based on a free and balanced flow of information, in a world where disparities in technological advances were widespread and the gap between the developed and developing countries was ever-widening. Several others said that information should not undermine values, distort facts and demonstrate bias towards countries with different systems and values.

Many speakers expressed their appreciation for the Department's efforts in disseminating materials electronically to expand the United Nations outreach and save money. At the same time, however, many speakers stressed the importance of continued dissemination of information in the traditional media to meet the needs of the less technologically advanced countries.

Also mentioned were the integration of United Nations information centres with United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) field offices, services provided by the Department to correspondents, improved access for the press to reliable information sources within the Secretariat, and the need to promote further multilingualism within the United Nations.

In the Committee's meeting on 3 September, the Chairman of the Task Force stressed the need for Member States to ensure that mandates in the field of communications and public information were commensurate with the resources available to the Department. He said the Task Force intended not to instruct the Department on how to do its work, but rather to give it authority, direction and purpose.

Draft Resolution

The Committee has had before it a two-part draft resolution on information questions.

By draft resolution A, on information in service of humanity (document A/AC.198/1997/L.2), the General Assembly would urge all countries, organizations of the United Nations system as a whole and all others concerned to cooperate with a view to reducing existing disparities in information flows at all levels by increasing assistance for the development of communication

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infrastructures and capabilities in developing countries and to ensure a free flow of information at all levels.

The Assembly would urge them to ensure for journalists the free and effective performance of their professional tasks; to strengthen training programmes for broadcasters and journalists from developing countries; and to enhance regional efforts and cooperation among developing countries as well as between developed and developing countries, to improve the latter's media infrastructure and communications technology.

In addition, the Assembly would urge them to aim at providing all possible support and assistance to the developing countries and their media through such measures as support for the strengthening of training programmes; the creation of conditions to enable them to have communication material suited to their national needs, including the necessary programme material for radio and television; assistance in establishing and promoting telecommunication links at the subregional, regional and interregional levels; facilitating their access, as appropriate, to advance communications technology available in the open market; and fully supporting the International Programme for the Development of Communication of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

By draft resolution B, on United Nations public information policies and activities (document A/AC.198/1997/L.3), the Assembly would strongly reaffirm its primary role in elaborating, coordinating and harmonizing United Nations policies and activities in the field of information. It would take note of the report of the Committee on Information as well as its failure to complete the task of its 1997 session. It would also take note of the Secretary- General's report on information questions (document A/52/455), as well as of the Task Force on the Reorientation of United Nations Public Information activities.

By other terms of the draft, the Assembly would ask the Secretary- General to continue to implement already mandated activities. He would also be asked to report to the Committee and to the Assembly at their 1998 sessions on United Nations public information activities, and on the implementation of the measures regarding information and communications approved by the General Assembly.

Action on Draft Report

ALYAKSEI SKRYPKO (Belarus), Rapporteur, introduced the Committee's draft report. He said the second part of the report would be completed with information on today's deliberations and the draft resolution to be approved.

The Committee approved Section I of the report ("Introduction") and then turned to Section II ("Organizational questions").

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HOSSAM ZAKI (Egypt) said that paragraph 14 should elaborate on the Committee's decision to hold its 1997 session in two segments, which had been controversial. Although consensus had eventually been attained, many delegations had sacrificed their national positions in order for that to happen. The rapporteur should put more emphasis on the debate which had taken place. The English text was not clear and should be further clarified.

JOSE ALBERTO DE SOUSA (Portugal), Committee Chairman, asked if the representative of Egypt had a specific working in mind. Mr. Zaki (Egypt) said he did not.

Consideration of Section II was temporarily deferred and the Committee turned to Section III ("General debate and consideration of substantive questions").

ANTONIO JOSE FERREIRA SIMOES (Brazil) said there had not been enough time of the Committee to discuss substantive measures this year. Today's meeting had been called one day before the Fourth Committee (Special Political and Decolonization) was to take up the Information Committee's report. It was important to keep in mind that the Committee could do better next year when the issues should be discussed in greater depth.

Mr. ZAKI (Egypt) said he was aware of the circumstances which had led to today's meeting. However, if the Committee approved the current draft report, it would be incomplete, because it would not include the conclusions of the consultations conducted by the Chairman. When they were available, Egypt would like the Committee to consider and approve them and include them in its report. If that was not done, then the last sentence of Section II -- "The Committee decided on that basis to suspend the session" (para. 60) -- should be deleted, as it would be proof that the Committee did not sufficiently respect its work.

[Note: Paragraph 60, as currently drafted, reads as follows: "The Chairman of the Committee subsequently informed the Committee that on the basis of his consultations with the regional and other groups, he had been led to believe that Member States felt that they needed more time to study the documentation before the Committee and therefore wished to suspend the session to allow time for consultations. He assured the Committee that he would come back to the Committee with the results of his consultations prior to consideration of agenda item 89 by the Special Political and Decolonization Committee (the Fourth Committee). The Committee decided on that basis to suspend the session."

Could the Chairman draft paragraphs which would clarify the special circumstances that had occurred this year? he asked. Could he also add a paragraph that would make it clear that the Committee intended to prepare for next year's session in a better manner? He proposed that the Chairman conduct consultations with other members in order to hold a preliminary meeting before

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the next session, with a view to considering the agenda for that session and to discuss the relevant concerns of Member States.

ROBERT W. ZAAGMAN (Netherlands) said that contrary to what might be implied from the preceding statements, the Committee's inability to complete its work had been the result of circumstances, not a failure to reach agreement. The report should not give the impression that the Committee had been frivolous in carrying out its duties. Delegations had consulted with each other in a constructive fashion. He supported the proposal to delete the final sentence of paragraph 60.

NACERDINE SAI (Algeria) said the Committee had completed its session with only a vague idea about how to address the issue of reform, particularly with respect to the Department of Public Information (DPI) or any Office which might replace it. Much time had been lost for nothing. The Chairman's consultations with the regional groups should have led to some tangible result regarding the composition of the committee's Bureau. A draft decision should have been prepared on that question, but it had not happened.

Mr. DE SOUSA (Portugal), Committee Chairman, asked if the Committee wished to delete the last sentence of paragraph 60.

Mr. ZAKI (Egypt) said his proposed deletion of the sentence in question had been meant to present his argument. He had also proposed maintaining the paragraph with the addition of the results of the Chairman's consultations. There had been consultations. The deletion of the sentence had been proposed to make it clear that something was happening. The serious proposal was that the results of the Chairman's consultations should be added.

Mr. DE SOUSA (Portugal), Committee Chairman, asked the Rapporteur to include the results of his consultations.

The Committee turned to Section IV of its draft report ("Preparation and adoption of the report of the Committee to the General Assembly at its fifty- second session"), which was approved.

Acting without a vote, the Committee then approved draft resolution A, on information in service of humanity, and draft resolution B, on United Nations public information policies and activities.

WAYNE ST. JOHN McCOOK (Jamaica) said that there was no field more dynamic than that of information, and it merited close attention. There had been no possibility for further deliberation prior to the Fourth Committee's consideration of the issue next week. The Information Committee's inability to address relevant questions was disappointing. Tremendous strides had been made in the field of information, and the Committee's relevant silence was a matter of concern. The work of its next session must be approached differently.

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PEDRO NUNEZ-MOSQUERA (Cuba) said he welcomed today's action on the draft resolutions and hoped the draft report would also be approved. Nevertheless, Cuba had reservations about the way the Committee had carried out its work in this and previous years. Draft resolution B stated that the Committee had not been able to conclude its work. That was because the Committee had not been able to consider all the relevant documents. It was hoped that, at its next session, the Committee would be able to examine the report of the Task Force in depth, as well as the report of the Secretary-General. The way in which the Committee now worked did not allow for such in-depth consideration. Converting the Department of Public Information (DPI) into an office for information would require a decision by the General Assembly, which had not yet discussed the matter. Reorientation of the Committee's work should begin at its next session.

Mr. SAI (Algeria) said that in the process of United Nations reform, the Information Committee had been absent. The lack of a substantive reaction to that process in draft resolution B effectively made the Committee the last to act in a matter that should have been its priority. Its silence indicated acceptance and gave a green light to all proposed reforms. Although it had been said that 1998 should be the year to review the Committee's functioning, that might be too late.

Approval of a draft resolution in which the Committee said nothing about the concerns of the Member States gave a green light to any initiative, he said. The Secretariat was expected to make beneficial changes, but it was feared that the Committee would be faced with a fait accompli. At the Committee's next session, it should return to any matter deemed worthy of review and correction, even if its implementation had already begun.

Mr. SKRYPKO (Belarus) said his delegation had supported draft resolution B on the understanding that the Secretary-General would continue to implement already mandated activities, as stated in operative paragraph 5.

CHEN RANFENG (China) said the Committee's 1997 session had not been conducted according to usual practice. It was hoped that next year's work would be carried out more efficiently.

SALMAN A. ABBASY (Pakistan) said he recognized the unusual circumstances in which the Committee had worked this year. Pakistan associated itself with the statement made by Jamaica and hoped that more substantial deliberations would occur at the Committee's next session.

Mr. ZAKI (Egypt) said the Committee's draft report should include a provision on the holding of informal meetings prior to its next session to consider its agenda. The Committee should also take advantage of the presence at today's meeting of the Assistant Secretary-General for Public Information to hear his views on impact of present and future reforms on the Department of Public Information.

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FAYSSAL MEKDAD (Syria) said the importance of the Committee was reflected in the increased number of its members, which in turn reflected the growing importance of United Nations activities relating to information. The manner in which the Committee had gone about its work this year was disappointing. Whether intentional or not, its working method this year had not served the interests of anyone. He supported the proposal by Egypt that informal meetings be held to consider matters before the Committee. It had been the tradition of other Committees to hold informal sessions and it was astonishing that the Information Committee had not done so. He also supported the request for a statement by the Assistant Secretary-General.

Mr. ZAAGMAN (Netherlands) also supported the requests for a statement by the Assistant Secretary-General. He said that exceptional and external circumstances had been responsible for the manner in which the Committee had operated over the past six to nine months. It was no fault of the Committee that things had gone that way.

During the 1980s, the spirit of consensus and cooperation did not exist in the Committee, he said. The various regional groups were "at each other's throats" and the Committee was a battlefield. At some point, it was agreed that nobody's interests were served by an atmosphere of conflict and confrontation, and it was decided to establish a mechanism to promote understanding within the Committee. There were elements of the current report with which the Western Group was unhappy, and it was likely that other groups were also dissatisfied with elements of it. The mechanism of cooperation would help the Committee get around those differences.

"Some delegations are not happy with the way things have gone this year, and it is their sovereign right to raise the issue of the working methods of the Committee", he said. Informal open-ended meetings could serve all Member States of the Committee, which needed to devote more time to the issues before it. SAMIR SAMBAR, Assistant Secretary-General for Public Information, said he was not sure if he could make a substantive statement at the current time. He would do so at a meeting of the Fourth Committee next week. The Secretary General's report referred to information and communication as an integral part of the United Nations. The Task Force had finished its report. The DPI, with the involvement of its entire staff, was working on a framework for its future work. That framework and its implementation were dependent on decisions of the Assembly. It would take account of the mandate given it by the Assembly, as well as the Organization's means. The Information Committee was welcome to work in professional partnership with the DPI, he said. Its spirit of consensus should continue. The Secretary-General had made reform proposals, and the DPI would follow up on the Assembly's decisions. The proposed new framework would put information at the heart of United Nations programmes and strategies.

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Mr. McCOOK (Jamaica) said he supported the proposal for the convening of informal meetings. The dynamism of information was impatient of formal and rigid structures. The Committee must now be more dynamic. For small delegations, the structure of informal consultations was very useful. The content of draft resolution B was the product of very unstructured consultations. Much good could come of an open discussion of the questions on which the Committee wished to focus.

Mr. SIMOES (Brazil) said he was happy that draft resolution had been approved, which was a good result given the circumstances. The setting provided by informal consultations had made that possible. The draft resolution had been put together in a manner unlike what was done in the past. That was a positive development which should be reflected in the Committee's future work.

Mr. DE SOUSA (Portugal), Committee Chairman, agreed that information issues had a very tense dynamic and that there was a need for consultations. Focus should be placed on next year's work, with consultations beginning now.

Mr. SIMOES (Brazil) said such consultations should not be restricted to regional groups. All delegations should take part.

Mr. ZAKI (Egypt) said it was somewhat logical to talk about next year's work, as the Committee had failed this year. He agreed that all delegations should be included in consultations. It was important to stress that this was a Committee on Information in which information did not flow correctly. That situation must be remedied.

Mr. MEKDAD (Syria) said he wished to affirm that there was every reason to reach agreement on issues. Other Committees, with even more serious items on their agenda, considered issues in a democratic fashion. Transparency should apply to the Committee on Information, which should benefit from the experience of other Committees.

The meeting was then suspended for informal consultations.

Following those consultations, Mr. DE SOUSA (Portugal), Chairman, said the Information Committee would resume deliberations on the proposed changes to its draft report at 10 a.m. on Monday, 17 November.

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