COMMITTEE ON INFORMATION APPROVES DRAFT RESOLUTION WHICH WILL EXPAND UN RADIO’S CAPACITY, AS IT CONCLUDES RESUMED TWENTY-THIRD SESSION

Committee on Information

Resumed Twenty-third Session

8^th Meeting (PM)

COMMITTEE ON INFORMATION APPROVES DRAFT RESOLUTION WHICH WILL EXPAND UN RADIO’S CAPACITY, AS IT CONCLUDES RESUMED TWENTY-THIRD SESSION

United Nations radio would be bringing the United Nations message to the most far-flung corners of the world, the Chairman of the Committee on Information said this afternoon, as the Committee concluded its resumed twenty-third session.  He spoke immediately prior to the Committee’s adoption, at its resumed session, of its report on its entire twenty-third session, which included a draft resolution on United Nations information activities that will now be passed to the General Assembly for consideration.

The resumed session was called to consider the Secretary-General’s final report on implementing a pilot project aimed at developing an international radio broadcasting capacity for the United Nations. 

Information Committee Chairman, Milos Alcalay (Venezuela), mentioned the achievements that had led to the approval of this draft, which he said would push United Nations radio forward.  The contribution of this resumed session had been important, profound and far-reaching, he stressed.

By the terms of the draft resolution in the Information Committee’s report, the General Assembly would decide to expand the current international radio broadcasting capacity of the United Nations in all six official languages.

By other terms of the draft, which was approved without a vote, the General Assembly would welcome the Secretary-General’s reports on implementing the pilot project, and the extensive partnerships the United Nations had established with local, national and regional broadcasters in Member States. 

The Assembly would agree with the Secretary-General that the pilot project had contributed to disseminating information about the United Nations among millions of listeners across the globe, and was a successful example of reorienting the Department of Public Information (DPI).

If it approves the draft, the Assembly will also ask the Secretary-General to provide a justification of the necessary resource requirements to expand radio coverage in the next United Nations budget period (the 2002-2003 biennium), for consideration by the relevant committees. 

Finally, the Secretary-General would be asked to report on new developments to the Committee’s twenty-fifth session, and include information from local, national and regional radio partners about the number of listeners reached.

Prior to adopting its report on its twenty-third session (document A/56/21), the Committee approved new paragraphs (46 through 49, replacing 46 and 47) from resolution B, on United Nations public information policies and activities, in that report. 

Finally, the Committee adopted a report on its resumed twenty-third session, held from 5 to 7 September (document A/AC.198/2001/L.4), which will be appended to the full report of the session. 

Committee Rapporteur Walid Haggag (Egypt) introduced the Committee’s report on the resumed session.

(For background on the Committee’s current session, see press release PI/1336 of 27 April.  For a summary of the Secretary-General’s final report, see press release PI/1372 of 5 September.)

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