UNITED NATIONS MUST BE 'VOICE OF THE VOICELESS' SYRIA TELLS INFORMATION COMMITTEE

6 May 1998

Press Release
PI/1065

UNITED NATIONS MUST BE 'VOICE OF THE VOICELESS' SYRIA TELLS INFORMATION COMMITTEE

19980506 Stresses Role of UN Information Activities in Development, Decolonization, Peace, Eliminating Weapons of Mass Destruction

The basic role of United Nations information activities was to be the "voice of the voiceless" and highlight the key areas of development, decolonization, the search for peace and the elimination of all weapons of mass destruction, the representative of Syria said this morning, as the Committee on Information continued its general exchange of views. He also expressed concern over the wide gap in information flows between the developed and developing countries.

The representative of Ghana also cited the unequal access to information technology between the countries of the North and those of the South. International cooperation could serve to bridge that gap and make modern technology available to developing countries, he said.

Drawing attention to the United Nations Information Centre in Ghana, he said that despite its modest resources, it was the principal source of information about the United Nations system there and had developed excellent working relations with private and public institutions, educational facilities, various sectors of civil society, and the media. Along with the representatives of Egypt and Brazil, he supported efforts to strengthen the centres. That was particularly so in countries where local media were less developed, the Brazilian representative said.

The representative of Guyana highlighted the value of outreach by the Department of Public Information (DPI) to educational institutions. It was extremely important for young people to become aware of United Nations activities, she said. Guyana also supported additional training programmes for media personnel from developing countries, as information and communications systems in the majority of those countries were weak and required strengthening.

The Committee will meet again at 10 a.m. tomorrow, 7 May, to continue its general exchange of views.

Committee Work Programme

The Committee on Information met this morning to continue its general exchange of views. (For background on the Committee's session, see Press Release PI/1060 of 1 May.)

Statements

YAKUBU ABDULAI (Ghana) said that on the threshold of the twenty-first century, technological developments had brought Marshall McLuhan's "global village" very close to reality. Information dissemination defied geographical boundaries and virtually obliterated time and space constraints within and between nations. The tremendous impact of information technology on socio- economic development, education and human rights explained the deep interest in action by the United Nations to ensure that developing countries benefited fully from the "informatics revolution".

Despite repeated calls for a more balanced international information and communications order, access to information technology was unequal for the North and the South, he said. International cooperation could serve to bridge that gap and make modern technology available to developing countries.

In view of the important role played by the United Nations Information Centres (UNICs), the Secretary-General should urgently address the substantial problems encountered by some of them, he said. Their integration with field offices of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) should continue to proceed on a case-by-case basis, taking account of the host country's views and ensuring that the centres' information functions and autonomy were not adversely affected.

The information centre in Ghana was the principal source of information about the United Nations system there, he said. It had developed excellent working relations with Ghanaian private and public institutions, as well as educational establishments and various sectors of civil society and the media. Despite its modest resources, the centre rendered invaluable services to the Ghanaian people.

The liberalization of telecommunications and broadcasting services in Ghana since early 1997 had already begun to yield results, he said. There was a 30 per cent increase in connected telephone lines. Moreover, additional private investment over the next five years was expected to provide an extensive digital telecommunications infrastructure, especially digital microwave radio, satellite and optical fibre networks, to facilitate the high- speed transmission of data and multimedia services.

A major expansion programme in Internet services was also expected over the next five years, he said. His Government's telecommunications reform policy, with its emphasis on deregulation and increased private sector

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participation, aimed at creating conditions for rapid network development and quality improvements. Whatever assistance the United Nations could provide in that respect would be most welcome.

He said that global development of the new information technologies in the new millennium should strengthen South-South cooperation and give impetus to the North-South dialogue, as States collectively endeavoured to strengthen the freedom of expression, international solidarity and partnership for the eradication of poverty and ignorance, and for the building of a peaceful "global village".

HOSSAM ZAKI (Egypt) said his country attached great importance to the Committee's role, and was therefore extremely concerned about indications of a reduction in that role. The current session should revitalize the Committee so that it might again fulfil the mandate given to it by the General Assembly since 1978. Egypt supported the Secretary-General's vision of information as an integral part of the United Nations, and not as a complementary function. However, it was hoped that clearer details of his strategic global plan, particularly concerning the reorientation of the Department of Public Information (DPI), would be forthcoming.

While Egypt strongly supported the full use of modern technology and welcomed DPI's efforts to that end, traditional means of communication must not be neglected, he said. Member States must be involved in the feasibility study regarding a United Nations international radio broadcast, so they might make a fully informed decision. The creation of such capacity would be a positive development, as long as the content of the broadcasts supported the interests of developing countries, particularly their efforts to combat poverty.

The United Nations must strive daily to redress imbalances in the treatment of information on the international level, he said. The effort to create partnerships with information redisseminators was a positive step and should be continued. The importance of supporting and consolidating the UNICs in various countries should also be emphasized. Importance should also be attached to the full implementation by DPI of all information activities adopted by the General Assembly regarding Palestine until a just, lasting and comprehensive settlement was found to that historic question. Moreover, the United Nations should ensure that its publications were translated into Arabic.

FAYSSAL MEKDAD (Syria) said his country attached great importance to the establishment of a new international information order that would benefit and promote mutual respect among all the world's peoples. He expressed concern over the wide gap and inequality in information flows between the developed and developing countries, which was just one aspect of the inequality between them.

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The basic role of United nations information activities was to be the voice of the voiceless and to highlight matters already decided upon by the Organization, he said. Among the key roles of the United Nations were the enhancement of development, decolonization, the search for peace -- especially in the Middle East -- and the elimination of all weapons of mass destruction.

He said the United Nations information officers should commit themselves to fairness and objectivity in carrying out their duties and should not express personal or political views at the expense of the Organization's credibility. Syria fully supported the strengthening of DPI and the necessity of providing it with all the means necessary to carry out its functions. Further reductions in the Department's budget would negatively affect the image of the United Nations and undermine the Organization's world role.

On the aim of enhancing transparency in the Committee's working methods, he said the expanded bureau was inconsistent with that approach. The Committee should work on the basis of open-ended consultations, a method that had already proved successful in other United Nations bodies.

ANTONIO JOSE FERREIRA SIMOES (Brazil) said that implementing a new orientation in the field of information required commitment and political will by Members States and the Secretariat, as well as sufficient resources to protect the budget of DPI. The reduction in resources allocated to the Department in the 1998-1999 programme budget was a matter of concern. The DPI budget should not be further reduced, as any move in that direction would adversely affect its capacity to fulfil its comprehensive mandates and responsibilities.

He said that the Secretary-General's report placed considerable emphasis on the role of the new technologies, particularly the Internet, in the dissemination of information on the United Nations. However, that should not be done at the expense of such traditional media as radio broadcasts, which retained a crucial role, especially in developing countries. Merging both means could reduce costs and enlarge the media broadcast capacity of the United Nations. Brazil was ready to study how a United Nations international radio broadcasting capacity for direct communication could be developed within existing resources. However, partnerships with information redisseminators should be continued and reinforced.

In 1996, an agreement was signed between Radiobras (Brazilian Public Radio Network) and United Nations Radio which allowed information produced in Portuguese by United Nations Radio to be broadcast through about 500 radio stations in Brazil, he said. Subsequently, similar arrangements were reached with the five lusophone countries of Africa (Angola, Cape Verde, Guinea- Bissau, Mozambique and Sao Tome and Principe), as well as with Portugal. An audience of more than 200 million people was now receiving United Nations Radio programmes in Portuguese. That material had prime-time exposure in Brazil as well as in Africa.

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The integration of United Nations Information Centres with UNDP field offices should proceed on a case-by-case basis, taking account of the views of the host country and ensuring that the centres' information functions and autonomy were not adversely affected. It was important that they be provided with sufficient resources, particularly those centres located in countries where local media were less developed.

He said it was a matter of deep regret that journalists continued to die in the exercise of their profession. As a country which prided itself in having a pluralist and active press, Brazil ascribed the highest importance to guaranteeing freedom of information and freedom of expression, and would continue to voice its condemnation of all practices which curtailed such essential liberties.

A significant aspect of the United Nations reform agenda related to the Committee's working methods, he said. The challenge of devising a new mechanism to help the Committee negotiate its resolutions must be faced. Such a mechanism should be open-ended, transparent and inclusive.

YUNIYA COX (Guyana) said that all opinions and concerns expressed during the Committee's exchange of views should be given equal consideration as the programme for the reform of DPI was implemented. Issues relating to information and communications were even more crucial today, and the United Nations, through DPI, must deal with them in the interest of all its members. Now that reform was under way in the Department, new policies and programmes must be implemented which satisfied the entire membership. As the Organization broadcast its unified message, that message must include support for development.

She said Guyana agreed with the Secretary-General that DPI's outreach to educational institutions could prove to be a very valuable asset. It was extremely important for youth to become aware of the United Nations and its activities. Youth were the future and should, therefore, be the focus of programmes by the Department. There should be additional training programmes for media personnel from developing countries to enhance their capacity, as information and communications systems in the majority of those countries were weak and required strengthening. There should also be improved facilities for the exchange of information between and among all countries. Communication was a two-way process, and by offering greater assistance to local media, better channels of information could be established.

The Guyanese delegation warmly welcomed the Secretary-General's announcement that a feasibility study for developing a United Nations international radio capacity was under way, she said. While the importance of electronic communication was undeniable, it was still not the main means of communication in developing countries. Equal emphasis should be placed on all four media currently used by DPI to carry out its programmes. For the Department's reforms to succeed, they must be acceptable to all those involved and to all those who would be affected.

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