PITFALLS, PROMISES OF GLOBALIZING ENVIRONMENT AMONG DIRECTIONS WEIGHED AS INFORMATION COMMITTEE BEGINS SUBSTANTIVE DEBATE

Press Release
PI/1246

PITFALLS, PROMISES OF GLOBALIZING ENVIRONMENT AMONG DIRECTIONS WEIGHED AS INFORMATION COMMITTEE BEGINS SUBSTANTIVE DEBATE

While the process of forming a global information community was beginning to pick up pace, with the noticeable contribution of the United Nations in solving international information problems, progress in information technology had also created new potential threats, the representative of the Russian Federation told the Committee on Information this afternoon as it resumed its general debate on substantive questions relating to the reorientation of the Department of Public Information.

He stressed the need to prevent the use of information media for terrorist and criminal aims. Human beings should not have to be protected from progress in the sphere of information. New information technologies often brought the danger of eroding the identity of nations and of a standardization of culture. Globalization should promote the mutual enrichment of cultures, including by means of information, while excluding the dominance of anybody over anyone.

Also addressing the issue of globalization, the representative of Syria said that it had become a source of concern as a result of the increasing gap between the North and South and between the developing and developed countries. There was no cause for hope unless and until there was a basic change in the current international system at the economic, technical and information levels. There was an urgent need for a juster and more logical information and communications system that would focus on the needs of the developing countries.

Stressing the need to help the developing world catch up with the developed countries in information and communications technology, the representative of Jamaica, speaking on behalf of the Caribbean Community, said that the international community must take proactive steps to fuel the growth of mechanisms among developing countries for greater access to and use of the tools of the information age. The United Nations shared the responsibility of ensuring that the developing countries acquired the capacity and skill to engage meaningfully in the international arena.

Also speaking this afternoon, Ukraine’s representative noted that it was discouraging that the more distant the day of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster became, the less attention was paid to Chernobyl-related problems, which had taken on a global dimension. The representative of Belarus emphasized the need to make

Committee on Information - 1a - Press Release PI/1246 3rd Meeting (PM) 3 May 2000

balanced information on the technical, medical and other consequences of the tragedy available to the general public.

Other statements were made by the representatives of Cuba, Pakistan, Colombia (on behalf of the Rio Group), Tunisia, Algeria, Brazil, Gabon, Egypt, Japan, Yemen, Kazakhstan and United Arab Emirates.

Statements were also made by the president of the United Nations Correspondents Association and a representative of the World Association of Former United Nations Internes and Fellows, Inc.

The Committee on Information will meet again at 10 a.m. tomorrow, 4 May, to hear responses by the Under-Secretary-General for Communication and Public Information and to consider the reports of the Secretary-General.

Committee on Information - 3 - Press Release PI/1246 3rd Meeting (PM) 3 May 2000

Committee Work Programme

The Committee on Information met this afternoon to continue its general debate. (For background information see Press Release PI/1242 of 28 April and Press Release PI/1243 of 1 May.)

Statements

RAFAEL DAUSA CESPEDES (Cuba) said that the greater the technological progress made in the development of information and communications, the greater the technological gap between the developing and developed countries. While some countries spoke of speeding up that technological development, others were dealing with high levels of illiteracy. That made it easier for the developed countries to impose cultural systems that were unfavourable to the developing countries. The technological gap was becoming even greater because of the growing privatization of the information media.

He said that the developed countries controlled 90 per cent of information and communications media, while the southern countries did not have even the patents on intellectual property. Patent legislation did not exist in the South. The international community must work to ensure that progress in the information and communications field united countries, instead of dividing them. It was necessary to seriously consider the development of developing countries in that field, so that they were not just passive participants in the information revolution.

The use of information for political purposes, in violation of the sovereignty of States, must be discouraged, he said. The last General Assembly had recognized that information media could be used in ways inconsistent with the maintenance of international peace and security. The misuse of information media for criminal and terrorist purposes must be prohibited. More than $22 million was being spent by the United States in electronic warfare against Cuba. Those transmissions grossly falsified and distorted the realities in his country. Cuba would continue to take any measure within its grasp to repel such activities.

SHAMSHAD AHMAD (Pakistan), after paying tribute to all those media men and women who had lost their lives in the line of duty, said that tremendous innovation had been made in the field of information technology. Information technology was the key to progress and prosperity. Measures aimed at blocking or impeding the transfer of technology to the developing countries should be curtailed. The declaration of the South Summit noted that the “prevailing gap between the North and South in the scientific and technological field is still growing.”

The crucial decision-making and strategic planning processes of governments, economists and the private sector depended heavily on information and communications technology, he said. The competitive edge of nations was gauged more by their effectiveness in information processing, not by the traditional notions of goods and services. Hence the nexus between the establishment of the new international economic order and the new world information order. In this worldwide race for transmitting information, the United Nations had to be both competent and competitive, besides being accurate and uncoloured by bias.

While stressing the need for acquiring the latest means of communications, the traditional mass media were still useful and relevant, he said. The United Nations broadcasting capacity should be further reinforced. The United Nations Information Centre in Islamabad did important work and needed to strengthen its effectiveness. The information centres should be equipped with efficient, impartial and apolitical leadership, as well as adequate financial resources. The integration of the information centres with field offices of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) should be carried out in a cost-effective manner and on a case-by-case basis.

ANDRES FRANCO (Colombia), speaking on behalf of the Rio Group, said that the third millennium would provide many opportunities, as well as many threats. While the countries of the Rio Group paid tribute to improvements in information technology, the most recent expression of which was the Internet, they, as developing countries, noted that the increasingly sophisticated means of information and communications threatened to marginalize those countries that had no access to technological developments.

He said that the more modest means of communication, such as radio and print media, should not be overlooked, as they had a great impact on developing societies. At the same time, information technology must be transferred to the less developed countries. It was hoped that the United Nations would make that goal a reality.

The work of the United Nations information centres had been crucial, particularly in the field of education, he said. It was hoped that they would be granted greater human resources. Regarding the integration of those centres with field offices of UNDP, a study of effectiveness should be carried out on a case- by-case basis in consultation with host countries.

He said that the countries of the Rio Group had participated in the United Nations since its inception. The importance of multilingualism could not be overlooked as a key aspect of peaceful coexistence. The Rio Group wished its contribution to the present session of the Committee on Information to have a positive impact. While information sometimes became merchandise to be bought and sold, the Rio Group believed that it was a reservoir for all peoples. Easy access to information would make it a tool to strengthen the weakest countries and to enrich all countries. The Rio Group would commit all its efforts to that goal.

PATRICIA DURRANT (Jamaica), speaking on behalf of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), said that despite the progress and technological advances, the benefits of the information revolution were unequally shared. At least 80 per cent of the world’s population lacked the most basic telecommunications. Less than 6 per cent of computers with Internet access were in Eastern Europe, Asia, Africa, the Middle East and Latin America and the Caribbean.

The international community must take proactive steps in fuelling the growth of mechanisms among developing countries for greater access to, and use of, the tools of the information age, she said. The United Nations shared the responsibility for ensuring that developing countries acquired the capacity and skill necessary to engage meaningfully in the international arena. The Department of Public Information’s reorientation should seek to bridge the existing gap between developed and developing countries.

The proposal for an integrated multimedia news operation, involving radio, television, print and the Internet, aimed at the delivery of United Nations news directly to media organizations worldwide, although it was forward-looking, raised a few concerns, she said. Careful consideration should be given to the end-users and developing countries should be able to access that information readily. The feature that allowed television stations the option of “voicing over” in local languages was an important one. A similar feature in the area of radio programming to the region, particularly to Haiti in French and Creole, had yet to be fulfilled. She called on the Secretary-General to fully implement the recommendations of General Assembly resolution 38/82 B of 15 December 1983.

MOHAMMED WAEL DEIRKI (Syria), associating himself with Nigeria’s statement on behalf of the “Group of 77” developing countries and China, said that the objectives that the international community had sought to achieve for years were more difficult today than ever before. Some believed that globalization would ease the way, but it had become a source of concern, as a result of the increasing gap between the North and South and between the developing and developed countries. There was no reason for hope, unless and until there was a basic change in the current international system at the economic, technical and information levels.

He said that developing countries, whose programmes focused on infrastructure and the daily needs of their people, could not cope with the huge scientific and technical advances that had widened the gap in the information and communications field. The development process was an integral one; economic progress had an impact on all other aspects of development, and vice versa. In view of that, there was an urgent need for a more just and logical information and communications system that would focus on the needs of the developing countries.

Instead of realizing the idea of a global village through the globalization of a mere idea, he said, it would be better to achieve it through efforts aimed at first meeting the needs of poor developing countries. When they became self- sufficient and found permanent solutions to their problems, it would then be possible to speak of a global village on the cultural, social and other levels. That burden fell on the shoulders of the international community and the United Nations, particularly the Department of Public Information. Achieving that would contribute to a just and comprehensive peace in conflict areas and the elimination of nuclear weapons, among other goals.

MOHAMED SALAH TEKAYA (Tunisia) said that he appreciated the preparations made by the Department of Public Information in regard to the publicity campaign for the Millennium Assembly. Not only would it help in disseminating information about the event, it would also contribute to the image of the United Nations as an organization that was pertinent and efficient.

Information and communications played a central role in the work of the United Nations, he said. The Organization had faced the challenge of a rapid evolution in communications technology. The Web site had had considerable success. New information technology was of great importance in the era of globalization, but should not be applied at the expense of traditional media, which were the ways and means for the developing world.

The report on the creation of international radio included an encouraging assessment of the pilot project, he said. The information centres were playing an important part in promoting the work and ideas of the Organization and should, therefore, be strengthened and receive the necessary resources. New techniques had opened up new horizons, but the gap between developed and developing countries remained large. That problem could only be solved by cooperation, comprehension, solidarity and partnership. The United Nations had an important role to play, in that regard.

NACERDINE SAI (Algeria), associating himself with the statement of the Group of 77, noted the considerable progress made by the United Nations in the use of information technology, particularly the Internet. Algeria was pleased to note the number of accesses to the Organization’s Web site, especially those from developing countries. The will to give parity to all official United Nations languages was also noted.

He said that the role of and interest in the United Nations information centres could not be denied, especially in the developing countries where access to information technology was still weak. The Department of Public Information should make greater efforts to give more financial and material resources to the centres and to provide them with more staff, as well as modern telecommunication methods, which were lacking in countries of the South.

The Office of the Spokesman for the Secretary-General played a very important communications role in the United Nations, he noted. It reflected the position of the Secretary-General on particular current issues, thus making it vital that permanent missions have ready access to information from that office. The immediacy of that access should be enhanced, because the daily transcripts were currently only available the following day, which was more or less useless.

MARCOS PRADO TROYJO (Brazil) said that a free press was the very essence of one of the most fundamental rights of the human being -– that of access to free information. He thanked the Under-Secretary-General, Kensaku Hogen, for the fundamental support given to the Brazilian Mission in helping organize events that showed different aspects of Brazil’s art and culture at the United Nations in New York during the 500th anniversary of Brazil’s discovery.

The integration process of the information centres with field offices of the UNDP should be analysed on a case-by-case basis, including the opinions of the host country, he said. He also placed marked importance on the traditional means of communications for spreading the message of the United Nations. Radio broadcasts were particularly useful in that regard. The agreement established by the Brazilian Radio Network and the United Nations Radio allowed for information to reach a great number of listeners in Brazil, Africa and Europe.

The Committee on Information should, in the next couple of years, also turn its eyes to the very substance of information, he said. The campaign “The UN Works”, was especially useful at a time when the public image and credibility of the United Nations was put at stake by current events. It was high time to work on ways of providing widespread information on the very notion that the world was a much better place when the United Nations was active and strong, he said.

IGOR GRUSHKO (Ukraine) said that the reorientation of the public information and communications activities of the Department of Public Information required changes in its structure and methods. In the new information age, the use of the Internet as a major information medium would enable the United Nations to address world audiences directly. It was also important to maintain the Department’s outreach through the traditional media, especially radio and television. Radio continued to be one of the most effective and far-reaching media instruments available in disseminating news of United Nations activities.

He welcomed the dramatic step forward made towards disseminating news of major United Nations developments directly to radio stations around the world in the Organization’s six official languages. The Department should continue to pay appropriate attention to published information materials and to ensure access to them by all countries, especially those where the new technologies would take time to take hold.

He commended the promotional campaign aimed at publicizing the Millennium Summit, he said. All avenues should be exploited to disseminate messages about that event, as well as its themes and topics. The information and communications strategy should be focused on the protection and promotion of human rights, promotion of democracy, as well as economic and social issues. Information and communications technology could assist countries to accelerate their efforts in those fields.

He said that the aftermath of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster continued to affect people, not only in his country, where that catastrophe had occurred, but also in Belarus and the Russian Federation. It was discouraging to note that the more distant the day of the tragedy became, the less attention was paid to Chernobyl-related problems, which had taken on a global dimension. He appreciated the Department’s efforts in highlighting that issue on the United Nations Web site.

DOMINIQUE ROGER NKAZENGANY (Gabon) said that the establishment of a new world order for information and communication was of the greatest importance. But the path to that was full of pitfalls, the first one being the possibility of developing countries having access to the advanced information technologies. The speed with which those new technologies were appearing put developing countries again at the periphery of the global village.

In Africa, he added, only one half per cent of the population had access to the Internet, and yet new technologies were announced, like the “Internet of the Heavens”, disseminated by satellites. The mergers of new communications companies would not contribute to reducing the gaps between rich and poor. Financial means were also a pitfall. Most of developing countries’ resources were devoted to primary tasks for population, like food.

The right to information was a fundamental right for each individual, and the new information order should ensure that that right should be respected, he said. The Department of Public Information should not be a simple technical office. The Committee on Information should encourage the Department to prepare strategies and envisage measures, such as those laid out in the Secretary- General’s report. An example was the establishment of 10,000 Internet sites to help hospitals in developing countries to access information on health matters.

HOSSAM ZAKI (Egypt), associating himself with the Group of 77 statement, reaffirmed that the emphasis on mastering new technologies, particularly the development of the United Nations Web sites, should not be used as a way to avoid using radio, television and other traditional media, which allowed the United Nations to transmit its message all over the globe.

He said that the United Nations information centres also played a very important role in disseminating that message. Egypt was in favour of the intention to take into consideration the points of view of host countries in regard to the integration of the centres with UNDP field offices. That would strengthen the information work of the centres, rationalize expenditure and avoid duplication.

The study of the integrated offices should be a continuous assessment in cooperation with the host countries, and should correct imbalances in cases where integration had taken place, he said. The Committee should be kept up to date on the results of those assessments. There had been a certain reshaping of the principles behind the guidelines for the integration of the information centres. For example, placing the UNDP Resident Representative in charge of all contacts was incompatible with the role of the National Information Officer, who should have an independent role in contacts with other officers and institutions.

He said that his country attached much importance to the proposed international broadcasting capacity for the United Nations. Egypt was grateful for the questionnaires sent out to Member States and the work done to ascertain which countries were prepared to take part in the related pilot project.

BORIS MALAKHOV (Russian Federation) said that in recent years the United Nations had made a noticeable contribution to the solution of international information problems. The formation of a global information community was beginning to accelerate. Progress in information technology had also created new potential threats. Its achievements might be used for aims not compatible with the United Nations tasks of maintaining international stability, and observing the principles of the renunciation of the use of force, non-interference in the internal affairs of other States and respect for human rights and freedoms.

Using information for terrorist and criminal aims for the purposes of destabilizing society should not be allowed, he said. Further, new information technologies often brought with them the danger of identity erosion in nations and a standardization of culture. Cultural diversity and information security were of no less importance for the future of mankind than ecological equilibrium. Globalization should promote the mutual enrichment of cultures, while excluding dominance of anybody over anyone.

At times of conflict and pre-conflict, the mass media should bear its share of responsibility for information that did not facilitate the settlement of crises, but stimulated them and misinformed public opinion, he said. Lately, there had been instances where unverified information or obvious misinformation, launched through the mass media, had resulted in erroneous and unprovoked military-political decisions. Information support of newly launched United Nations peacekeeping missions should be an inseparable part of their effective performance.

The latest Department of Public Information initiatives aimed at making the full use of multimedia technologies, including the Internet, were quite timely, he said. At the same time, it was necessary to support traditional mass media, which were more affordable and often served as the only source of information in the developing countries.

KIYOTAKA AKASAKA (Japan), associating his delegation with the statement by the Netherlands on behalf of the Group of Western European and Other States, asked the Secretariat not only to further develop the reorientation process, but also to prioritize the activities of the Department of Public Information. It was important to formulate and implement an effective public information strategy for the Millennium Summit, which was meant to provide a unique forum where world leaders would get together to discuss the role of the United Nations in the twenty-first century.

While appreciating efforts by the Office of the Under-Secretary-General to plan and promote various projects in that regard, he said that considering the importance of those public information projects, and the impact they might be expected to have on the Millennium Summit itself, Japan asked the Department to provide the Committee with a more detailed schedule and a description of the contents of each event and observance.

Expressing appreciation for the Secretariat’s efforts to develop a United Nations international radio broadcasting capacity, he asked the Secretariat how and to what extent the United Nations information centres could be involved in pursuing cooperation with radio stations in different regions, and in seeking extrabudgetary support from Member States and other entities.

NAGIBA A. AL-NADARI (Yemen) said that public information had become one of the most important tools of freedom. The Department of Public Information had faced many challenges in integrating new technologies, and she commended the staff for improving the United Nations presence on the Internet. The United Nations Web site in the six official languages strengthened the idea of linguistic diversity.

She paid tribute to the Information Centre in Salaam for its contributions to dissemination of information about the Organization, and expressed support for the information centres in all locations, in particular the pilot project of integrating information centres with UNDP local offices, which should be done on a case-by-case basis and in a cost-effective manner.

She also supported the development of an international broadcasting capacity for the United Nations, which should take language diversity into account.

MADINA B. JARBUSSYNOVA (Kazakhstan) commended the development of creative strategies by the Department of Public Information in pursuit of common objectives aimed to respond effectively to the challenges of the modern world. The United Nations strategy for public information and communications should focus on the developing world. The Department had made remarkable progress in integrating new technologies into its activities, but she recommended that the Department of Public Information try to achieve the most effective balance of new and traditional communications technologies.

World Press Freedom Day marked the right to freedom of convictions and their expression. Kazakhstan had achieved important results in that area, she said, and journalists’ free voices reflected the whole of views held in its society. The development of a pluralistic and independent press was a key factor in its efforts to build a democratic society.

General Assembly resolution 54/82, entitled “Questions relating to information”, encouraged the Department of Public Information to take appropriate measures to enhance world public awareness of the problems and needs of the Semipalatinsk region, which had been affected by nuclear tests. She hoped that the Department would be more persistent and active in the future in implementing that resolution, making its contribution to the human and ecological rehabilitation of the Semipalatinsk region.

ULADZIMIR VANTSEVICH (Belarus) said that there was concern over the widening gap in technological means, particularly when some countries turned that capacity into a tool for wielding political and economic influence. It was important that the Department’s activities should be structured and reoriented according to the individual needs of Member States.

Noting the opening of a page on the United Nations Web site in English and Russian that was dedicated to the results of the Chernobyl disaster, he stressed the need to make information on that catastrophe available to the general public. Belarus favoured balanced information on the technical, medical and other consequences of the tragedy.

He said his country was grateful to the Secretary-General for the multilingual development of the United Nations Web site, and expressed satisfaction with the work carried out on the pilot project of the international broadcasting capacity for the United Nations. However, national radio and television companies might have particular difficulties with the proposed use of satellite and other advanced means of transmission under that project.

MOHAMMAD SAMHAN (United Arab Emirates) expressed his appreciation to Under- Secretary-General Hogen and his staff for their efforts to implement the objectives of the United Nations. He said that, standing at the threshold of the third millennium, with all its changes in information technologies -- the most prominent one being the Internet -- it had become important to promote the role of the Information Committee in order to cope with those new developments.

He believed in the important role of information in the development of the world as a whole, but expressed concern because some media had tried to distort the culture of some of the peoples in developed countries. The international community should stop those campaigns, which distorted historic facts. Objectivity and impartiality should be the yardstick when disseminating information. Regional and international entities should be created to affect a balance between developed and undeveloped countries in the area of information.

In the preservation of peace and security and the realization of sustained development, information was a means used by the United Nations to disseminate its noble message. The Department of Public Information had developed United Nations sites on the Internet and created pages for documents and publications, but he stressed the importance of promoting services in the Arabic language and increasing the staff to do so.

EROL AVDOVIC, President of the United Nations Correspondents Association, reaffirmed that freedom of the press was a guarantee of many other freedoms. No democratic society could survive without a free press. The press was a witness to

wars and human tragedies all over the world, and yet it was in the business of promoting peace as well.

However, journalists were paying the price, he said. Eighty-seven journalists had been killed while carrying out their duties during 1999. The punishment and victimization of journalists must end. The media was in a difficult situation in 95 countries, while in a number of others, the situation was critical.

He expressed regret that the presence of Headquarters-based journalists was declining. Some journalists encountered problems in covering the General Assembly and its various committees. It was difficult for them to take notes from the television coverage of debates. Considering the reduction of staff producing United Nations press releases, the Association requested delegates to make copies of statements available to the press corps in advance.

MONCEF BEEKHOF, representative of the World Association of Former United Nations Internes and Fellows, Inc., said that the knowledge-based economy was being driven more and more by the rapid advances taking place in information and communication technologies. The Association was, however, concerned that a digital divide had emerged. Unequal access to the Internet and other fruits of communication and information technologies was both sharpening and widening the gap between the haves and have-nots of the world. The international community should give the highest priority to the narrowing of that gap.

He expressed his satisfaction that in document A/AC.198/2000/8, the “organization of internship programmes” was included among proposed services. As a United Nations Peace Messenger, the Association was intensifying its wide- ranging programmes and activities in support of heightening the profile and public image of the United Nations system worldwide. That included the Association’s new fund, the Helen C. and Otto Rammel Memorial Fund, which would subsidize the participation of disadvantaged young professionals and other young nationals from the least developed countries, land-locked developing countries and the small island developing States in the internship, fellowship and other training opportunities provided by the United Nations system.

Today more than ever, he said, the United Nations system had a unique role to play in the dynamic processes of economic, political, social and cultural transformation on the road to development and peace. The education and training efforts of the United Nations system had a special responsibility to tie education, training and skills content closely to improvements in the living conditions of the peoples of the international community, especially its most vulnerable members. The Department of Public Information Training Programme for Broadcasters and Journalists from Developing Countries was important in the strategy to bring the United Nations closer to the daily lives of people.

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