During Session’s High-Level Period, Department of Public Information Deployed Full Array of Media Tools — New and Traditional — Acting Head Tells Fourth Committee
Facing limited resources and expanding responsibilities, the Department of Public Information was striving to make the best use of its tools to fulfil its mandate and address new challenges such as coverage of the Ebola outbreak, the Fourth Committee (Special Political and Decolonization) heard today, as it began its annual consideration of questions relating to information.
The Department’s efforts had largely been guided by the strong support it received from Member States, said Maher Nasser, its Acting Head. “The job of the Department was to be the Organization’s public voice, to tell the United Nations story to as many people as possible. In doing so, the Department set priorities in a manner that allowed it to do what was achievable, and where it could have the best results,” he said.
The strategic approach had best been reflected in overall outreach efforts during the high-level period of the current General Assembly session. The Department had deployed the full array of media tools at its disposal — both new and traditional — and further energized and expanded its pool of outreach partners. That had helped the Department to successfully connect and engage audiences worldwide.
Interest in the United Nations peaked on social media during the general debate and related high-level meetings, he said, reporting that the English-language accounts broke all previous records, with a total of more than 27 million people viewing the Department’s updates on Facebook. One of the most popular posts ever had been a tweet about Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s remarks to last month’s Security Council meeting on threats to international peace and security caused by terrorist acts or foreign terrorist fighters.
Climate content, he noted, was estimated to have been seen by half of all active Twitter users — 127 million people. Chinese social media was particularly strong as well; United Nations posts on the Weibo platform, for example, were read more than 112 million times during the high-level week.
The Department, he noted, had created a website dedicated to the United Nations system-wide Global Response to Ebola, aiming to be the hub for official and up-to-date information. The website would showcase updates on the status of the epidemic, the newly established United Nations Mission for Ebola Emergency Response (UNMEER), the decisions of the main organs of the United Nations, its partners in the global response, current news on Ebola from the News Centre, a Twitter feed for #ebolaresponse, and a link by which users could make donations.
“Instead of resting on our laurels, we remain committed to further sharpening our tools and better coordinating our activities,” Mr Nasser said. “Inform. Engage. Act. This remains our guiding principle. We know a strong UN means a better world. Together, we can achieve this goal.”
In the interactive discussion that followed, a speaker praised the Department as the voice of the United Nations, as another urged it to do more energetic work in fostering dialogue among civilizations. Yet another representative sought inclusion in the United Nations database of proceedings in all official United Nations languages for future reference.
Responding, Mr. Nasser said the Department organized regular events and spearheaded initiatives to promote a culture that respected those values by utilizing diverse platforms. On multilingualism, he said budgetary constraints resulted in the availability of archival material only in the floor language. Earlier, he noted that some 150 events during the general debate week were webcast live in the six official languages, as well as in the original language of the speaker, which had yielded more than 2.5 million views.
Also addressing the Committee, Sam Kutesa, President of the General Assembly, said it was important for the Department to spread awareness of the sustainable development goals in the context of the post-2015 agenda. The Fourth Committee had played a historically important role in promoting the purpose and principles of the Organization, he added.
As the Committee began debate on the agenda item, the representative of Thailand lauded the contribution of the Department in promoting global awareness on issues such as sustainable development, the Millennium Development Goals, disarmament, and peacekeeping.
The representative of Costa Rica emphasized the need for new and innovative methods that allowed for a better flow and increased precision in the distribution of information, as well as for non-discriminatory and inclusive access.
Speaking on behalf of the Group of Friends of Spanish at the United Nations, the representative of Argentina said it was a matter of growing concern for the Group that new activities and products did not demonstrate the linguistic parity among the six languages that the General Assembly had enshrined as the Department’s guiding mandate.
The United Nations had an important role in providing credible information, said the representative of Syria, citing the “negative role played by some biased mass media”.
Also making statements were the representatives of Trinidad and Tobago, Cuba, Mexico, Brazil and Israel, along with a representative of the European Union delegation.
Chibaula David Silwamba, Rapporteur of the thirty-sixth session of the Committee on Information, introduced that body’s report.
The Committee will meet at 3 p.m. Wednesday, 22 October, to continue its consideration of questions relating to information.
Background
The Fourth Committee (Special Political and Decolonization) met this afternoon to begin its annual consideration of questions relating to information, for which it had before it documents A/69/310 and A/69/21.
Opening Remarks
SAM KUTESA, President of the General Assembly, said the Department of Public Information had been instrumental in implementing the United Nations communication and information strategy. It was important to spread awareness of the sustainable development goals in the context of the post-2015 agenda. The Fourth Committee had played a historically important role in promoting the purpose and principles of the Organization.
The world was in the midst of the third international decade for the eradication of colonialism, he said, adding that much work remained to be done. At the same time, decolonization was one of the Organization’s successes. When the United Nations was founded, almost two-thirds of the world’s territories were under colonialism, while today, a remaining 16 Non-Self-Governing Territories were home to just 2 million people. Several speakers in the General Assembly stressed the urgency of a two-State solution in the Middle East, but, regrettably, peace remained uncertain. The United Nations should continue to support the parties in achieving a just, lasting, and comprehensive peace.
Peacekeeping and peacebuilding, he said, remained mechanisms for conflict prevention and resolution. The contexts had become complex and challenging, often placing personnel and assets of the United Nations in increasing danger. The world must stand united in condemning those who attacked peacekeepers.
Regional organizations continued to play an important role in the maintenance of peace and security, he said, adding that the United Nations, together with those organizations, had important compatibilities that could be deployed in conflict management. Those links had expanded in recent years, he said, adding that the efforts of both the African Union and United Nations had borne fruit in Somalia. Kosovo and Haiti were other examples of successful partnerships. Regional groups had comparative advantages and regional proximity, which should be promoted.
Space-based technology and tools played a valuable role in achieving sustainable development, he said, stressing the importance of sustainable use of outer space.
Presentation of Report
CHIBAULA DAVID SILWAMBA (Zambia), Rapporteur of the Committee on Information, presented the report of that body’s thirty-sixth session, during which, he said, several speakers had emphasized the central role of the United Nations in global affairs, and of the Department of Public Information as its public voice. Speakers had acknowledged that the United Nations was the only universal forum for collective deliberation and decision-making on the international community’s concerns.
Much of the discussion during the session, he recalled, had focused on the role of multilingualism and the use of new communication platforms. Appreciation was expressed for the growing use of the new information and communication technologies. However, one speaker, representing a large group, had voiced concern about the deepening disparity in the use of official United Nations languages on the Organization’s website, despite the Department’s efforts to improve multilingual content.
Another speaker, also reflecting the views of a large group, expressed the members’ satisfaction with the Committee’s explicit support of the mainstreaming of multilingualism in the Secretariat’s communication and information activities. She commended the Department for its partnership arrangements on increasing the availability of multilingual content in a cost-neutral manner; also, for its continued efforts to enhance the United Nations website’s accessibility.
Referring to the General Assembly’s request for the issuance of United Nations press releases in all six official languages, a speaker, also reflecting the views of a large group, reiterated the call for the Department to design and implement a strategy in close collaboration with other departments through creative schemes, in a cost-neutral manner. The speaker emphasized that the use of the phrase “creative schemes” in the current resolution was deliberate, as the group recognized that in times of zero-real increases in budgets, departments must find ways of doing more with static resources.
Another speaker, voicing the concern of her group about the strategy on press releases submitted by the Department, noted that fewer meetings would be covered if that were enacted. The group was particularly concerned that several important United Nations bodies would not receive any coverage under the proposed plan, in any language. Since summary records were not available for some of those bodies, press releases were the only way to ensure transparency, accountability, and institutional memory.
Another speaker, sharing his group’s concern about inconsistency on the Department’s website with regard to the principle of parity among the six official languages, reiterated that the Department’s existing mandate demanded that it deliver press releases in all official languages.
Several speakers voiced strong support for the network of United Nations Information Centres, describing them as a vital source of information for local communities, he said. A number of speakers identified individual Information Centres located in their respective capitals, and lauded their efforts to promote the work of the United Nations, often using local languages and in partnership with local authorities.
Several speakers welcomed the growing importance of the United Nations Academic Impact as a global platform for universities and research organizations. Still others applauded the Department for its special information programme on the question of Palestine, including the training programme for Palestinian journalists. In response to the common consensus for augmenting multilingualism in the Department’s work, the Committee Chairperson had proposed that a Group of Friends work with the Department on effective, pragmatic, and creative ways through which to address the issue of multilingualism.
Statement by Acting Head, Department of Public Information
MAHER NASSER, Acting Head of the Department of Public Information, said the Department’s efforts had largely been guided by the strong support it had received from Member States. The job of the Department was to be the Organization’s public voice, to tell the United Nations story to as many people as possible. In doing so, the Department set priorities in a manner that allowed it to do what was achievable, and where it could have the best results. The strategic approach had best been reflected in overall outreach efforts during the high-level period of the current General Assembly session. The Department had deployed the full array of media tools at its disposal — both new and traditional — and further energized and expanded its pool of outreach partners. That had helped the Department to successfully connect and engage audiences worldwide.
The Department, he said, had played a critical role in the success of the Secretary-General’s Climate Summit on 23 September, through large-scale outreach to media, civil society, and other stakeholders. It had developed key messages, created communications products, provided content for the Summit website, and led a United Nations-wide social media strategy. The Department also had organized press conferences, drafted press releases, and managed a digital media zone on the day of the event to increase social media engagement. It also had led communication efforts for other key events during the high-level period, he said, adding that external partnerships would be further strengthened during the year.
Interest in the work of the United Nations during the general debate and related high-level meetings was especially strong on social media, he said. The English-language accounts broke all previous records, with a total of more than 27 million people viewing the Department’s updates on Facebook. One of the most popular posts ever had been a tweet about Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s remarks to last month’s Security Council meeting on threats to international peace and security caused by terrorist acts or foreign terrorist fighters. Climate content was estimated to have been seen by half of all active Twitter users — 127 million people. Chinese social media was particularly strong as well; United Nations posts on the Weibo platform, for example, were read more than 112 million times during the high-level week.
As part of the Department’s efforts to make better strategic use of its United Nations Information Centres, a group of information centres participated, for the first time — via a web-based video conferencing tool — in a live briefing on the Climate Summit. That new approach helped to ensure that journalists who were not able to attend the Summit in person could still cover the event with informed knowledge. The Department had organized similar briefing sessions with 26 Information Centres on the General Assembly’s main agenda items, as well as a briefing on the United Nations World Conference on Indigenous Peoples.
He said that Member States were partners in the Department’s efforts to better explain the work of United Nations peacekeeping and political missions to the public worldwide. The Department was increasingly providing staff on short-term assignments to missions during their critical start-up phases, such as in Mali and the Central African Republic. Using the Information Centres, the Department was both promoting the efforts of troop-contributing countries through outreach campaigns, and building the troops’ communications skills before they were deployed.
The Department’s calibrated approach to public information included ensuring a balance between new and traditional means of communication, he said. From United Nations Radio and Television to the United Nations News Centre and Photo Unit, the Organization’s traditional news platforms posted record levels of engagement, from downloads to posts to page views. The live webcasting — in the six official languages, as well as the original language of the speaker — of some 150 events during the general debate week had yielded more than 2.5 million views. Videos posted on YouTube, Youku, Tudou and Tencent were viewed more than 3.17 million times, and the demand for broadcast-quality videos increased by 103 per cent — compared to last year’s high-level period. Some 2,500 journalists from around the world were accredited and assisted by the Department in their coverage of various meetings at Headquarters, 500 more than for the same period last year.
This year, he continued, the Department created a dedicated online portal that gave access to the video, audio, text, and summary of the statements of Member States as they became available. The Department also developed a customized website for the President of the sixty-ninth session, and launched two new “apps” for mobile devices, in time for the opening of the new session. Those, along with UN Audio Channels and UN News Reader, made it possible for people to listen to live audio from United Nations meetings and radio content in different languages, as well as to read the latest news from the News Centre on their smart phones.
The Department also had created a website dedicated to the United Nations system-wide Global Response to Ebola, aiming to be the hub for official and up-to-date information, he said. He added that the website would showcase updates on the status of the epidemic, the newly established United Nations Mission for Ebola Emergency Response (UNMEER), the decisions of the main organs of the United Nations, its partners in the global response, current news on Ebola from the News Centre, a Twitter feed for #ebolaresponse, and a link by which users can make donations. The Department had loaned two staff members to the United Nations Ebola Crisis Centre to coordinate strategic communications for United Nations agencies, funds and programmes, and other partners. The two staff members were subsequently deployed to Accra, as part of UNMEER.
A team representing the full spectrum of the Department’s areas of work had been created to provide advice and to support the Organization’s communications efforts. The Department was chairing an inter-agency Ebola Communications Group, which was established to structure and share UN-wide messaging, updates, and contacts. It also had mobilized the Information Centres in sub-Saharan Africa, asking them to regularly update Headquarters on measures by United Nations Country Teams and Governments to mitigate the further spread of the deadly disease.
Another way in which the Department continued to make improvements to serve the needs of Member States and others was the Dag Hammarskjöld Library, he said, adding, “We all struggle with information overload and information inequality. The Library — or DHL, as we call it — is your ally in that struggle. Listening to what delegates want and need, the Library has expanded and customized services for you.” Research facilities included up-to-the-minute political analysis, media sources and e-books — all online and free for delegations’ use. The new “DAG Discovery” provided a single point of online access. “Ask DAG”, launched this year, was a multilingual online service with frequently-asked questions on United Nations topics that channelled requests from researchers worldwide. Research guides were in all six languages.
Noting that the United Nations Intranet, iSeek, was now accessible outside United Nations networks from mobile devices and home computers, he said that allowed staff members to work more efficiently, and would foster a greater sense of community within the United Nations family. The Department remained committed to expanding its outreach with the academic community. The United Nations Academic Impact initiative remained the gateway for schools of higher learning and research to connect with the United Nations and with each other for promoting key priorities on the Organization’s agenda. United Nations Academic Impact members, responding to the call by the Secretary-General to use the global celebration of the Organization’s seventieth anniversary to honour the historic breadth of its development, security, and human rights work, were planning a wide range of activities, including designating a “UN70” scholarship for students from disadvantaged backgrounds.
He said that the Department continued to harness its outreach with civil society and members of the creative community. In late August, a record 2,200 participants from some 700 non-governmental organizations, representing nearly 100 countries, had participated here at Headquarters in the sixty-fifth annual DPI-NGO Conference, which allowed the voice of an important civil society forum to be heard in the debate around the post-2015 development agenda. In keeping with the Assembly’s mandate to promote multilingualism throughout the United Nations, the Department launched, in September, a new Arabic-language version of Basic Facts — the first such edition since 1980. Funded by the United Arab Emirates, the Arabic edition would be distributed as a non-sales item to United Nations Information Centres and other outlets throughout the world, including schools.
In the draft resolution on questions relating to information, Member States had encouraged the Department “to make the UN Chronicle available in paperless editions only, with a view to expanding the service to all six official languages within existing resources”. Based on current costs, translation in five official languages of the magazine in 2016-2017 would total $260,000. That was in contrast to total printing costs in English and French for that period, amounting to $32,000. Viewed from another angle, stopping printing of the magazine for the entire biennium would cover only the publication of about a single issue in all official languages, out of a total of eight issues over the two-year period. While the Department would still meet the needs of paid subscribers, the Information Centres in many countries, developing and developed alike, still relied on having a base of flagship print publications for outreach and information purposes. The Department’s efforts to live up to its commitments to the global audience would continue to be guided by Member States’ recommendations and budgetary decisions.
Success was often described as doing the best one could with what one had, he said, and faced with limited resources and expanding mandates, the Department had made every effort to make the best use of its resources — the most important of which was its staff. Instead of resting on its laurels, the Department remained committed to further sharpening its tools and better coordinating its activities. Inform. Engage. Act. That remained its guiding principle. A strong United Nations meant a better world. Together, that goal could be achieved, he concluded.
Interactive Dialogue
When the floor was opened for discussion, the representative of Iran stressed the importance of more energetic work by the Department of Public Information in fostering dialogue among civilizations and peace, especially in the context of growing violence and extremism. He urged the Department to expand the duration and reach of its training programme for journalists.
The representative of Argentina said it was heartening to see simultaneous interpretations of speeches and other improvements in the dissemination of information in the General Assembly. Those interpretations should be kept in the database in all languages for future reference; currently, information was kept there in English, even if it was originally delivered in Spanish.
The representative of Lebanon said the Department of Public Information was becoming the voice of the United Nations, which, indeed, brought new challenges. She asked what steps the Department would take to strengthen partnerships in the future. She also sought more information on the activities of the United Nations Information Centres, and ways of ensuring the widespread dissemination of the UN Chronicle.
The representative of Guatemala said the statistics in the report of the Secretary-General were scarce, paltry, and not related to what had been requested. He asked why more detailed statistics on the use of various languages were not given. He also asked about the status of press releases in other languages, and wondered whether combining audio and video files together would be more effective.
The representative of Iraq said there was unanimity in supporting his country’s efforts against terrorism, and asked whether the Department could more effectively portray the risks and challenges posed by that scourge.
Responding to the questions and comments, Mr. NASSER said working for peace and tolerance was part of the reason the United Nations was founded. Therefore, the Department of Public Information organized regular events and initiatives to promote a culture that respected those values by utilizing diverse platforms.
The number of participants in the training programme for journalists had actually grown this year, compared to last, he said. Given its limited funding, however, the Department had only been able to increase that number by shortening the duration of the programme. Efforts would be made to improve the programme on both levels.
On multilingualism, he said archival material was only available in the floor language because of budgetary constraints. Similarly, Information Centres were using new technologies in an environment of limited resources, and the Department was doing its best to distribute the UN Chronicle within those resource constraints.
Partnerships between the United Nations and academia and civil society were aimed at promoting the impact of the Organization’s work in an efficient manner, he said. For that purpose, as well, the Department tried to identify celebrities with track records on relevant issues. National celebrities were often named as Goodwill Ambassadors because they were more identifiable locally. “We try to be strategic and not overstay our welcome,” he added.
In terms of audio files, only two languages were archived, again because of lack of resources. He said the Department would look into ways of improving the situation. As for press releases in other languages, the Department was awaiting engagement with the group established for that purpose.
On Iraq, Mr. MAHER said that the Department disseminated information emanating from the United Nations mission there, and its coverage had highlighted the risks and challenges posed by terrorism. Information was needed from United Nations agencies on the ground, so that more information on the overall challenge of rebuilding Iraq could be put out.
NORACHIT SINHASENI (Thailand), speaking on behalf of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), said he valued the contribution of the Department of Public Information in promoting global awareness of the work of the United Nations on issues such as sustainable development, the Millennium Development Goals, disarmament, and peacekeeping. The Committee should focus more attention to the issue of multilingualism, he added. Commending the United Nations Academic Impact initiative, he said that ASEAN also supported efforts made by the Department to utilize social media platforms to complement the use of traditional media. He encouraged the Department to pay careful attention to accurate reporting of events.
ASEAN, he said, called upon countries with advanced technology to provide assistance to developing countries and help bridge the digital divide. He noted that the region attached great importance to raising awareness through information and communications technologies (ICT). In his national capacity, he added that Thailand’s technology policy aimed to empower both the Thai government and the private sector to benefit from ICT. He welcomed the Department’s collaboration with other United Nations departments, such as Peacekeeping Operations and Political Affairs, and commended its support to peacekeeping missions in Haiti, Liberia, and Côte d’Ivoire. He finally underlined the importance of accurate and credible information to today‘s changing world.
JUAN CARLOS MENDOZA-GARCÍA (Costa Rica), speaking on behalf of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC), said information should always contribute to the welfare of human beings and the promotion of sustainable development through the integration of its three pillars: economic, social, and environmental. The changing global situation with regard to information, required that the international community adopt new, innovative methods that allowed for a better flow and increased precision in the distribution of information, as well as for non-discriminatory and inclusive access. Electronic communication had a high potential to generate exchanges in multiple ways. However, although it was a useful tool, there was a growing digital gap between developed and developing countries, which had negative consequences. It was, therefore, important to continue using traditional methods to transmit the messages of the Organization — namely through radio, television, and written press, as those constituted the major sources of information in developing countries.
He said that freedom of speech and press were indispensable values and principles of democracy; they should be exercised responsibly, in line with the relevant national legislative frameworks and instruments. Further, multilingualism was associated with the very existence of the United Nations, which was why it was essential that information be disseminated in as many languages as possible — including Portuguese and indigenous languages. There should be parity and respect for all official languages of the Organization, he said, stressing that there could be no effective action by the United Nations without proper dissemination of its work.
EDEN CHARLES (Trinidad and Tobago), on behalf of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), commended the Department of Public Information on its efforts to inform the widest audience possible about the Millennium Development Goals, disarmament, and climate change, through utilizing multiple languages, among other means. Outreach for the shaping of the post-2015 development agenda remained essential to ensuring that all were kept updated and engaged in the process. CARICOM welcomed the webcasting of the General Assembly formal meetings and the Security Council; the use of social media in all six official languages and efforts to increase multilingualism; and the work to increase outreach to youth. Partnerships remained important in reducing disparities in the flow of information for developing countries still relying mainly on traditional media.
He reaffirmed the support of CARICOM to the United Nations Information Centres. However, he remained concerned over the fact that the regional Centre for the Caribbean was still without a director. In addition, he expressed appreciation for activities marking the International Day of Remembrance of Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade. Regarding the issue of non-communicable diseases, he underscored the importance of ensuring that information continued to be made available on prevention and control. Finally, he applauded improvements made in information dissemination and the use of official and other languages.
MATEO ESTREME (Argentina), speaking on behalf of the Group of Friends of Spanish at the United Nations, said that the growing interest of the Spanish-speaking public in the work of the Organization was instrumental in the formation of the Group last year. Cooperation between the United Nations and the Group would redound to the benefit of dissemination of information. He invited all Member States to become observers in the Group to demonstrate the importance of multilingualism. Expressing appreciation for the work of the Department of Public Information, he lauded, in particular, personnel of the Spanish television and radio units, the library, and the Information Centres, for their contribution to fostering peace, solidarity, and cooperation among peoples.
Traffic on the United Nations website had been increasing across all languages. However, it was a matter of growing concern for the Group that new activities and products did not demonstrate the linguistic parity among the six languages that the General Assembly had enshrined as the Department’s guiding mandate. Spanish, according to latest available statistics, was the second-most requested language, but there was no disaggregated data portraying a clearer picture. Multilingualism was inherent in the work of the United Nations, and cut across platforms and activities. In that light, the Department should come up with “creative means” to fulfil the General Assembly’s mandate to produce the daily press releases in Spanish and the five other official languages. The principle of justice in the midst of scarcity should be pursued, so that any one language was not favoured over others.
IOANNIS VRAILAS, representative of the European Union Delegation, commended the efforts of the Department of Public Information in communicating the work of the United Nations to the widest possible audience. He welcomed the efforts by the Secretary-General to integrate strategic communications, news, and outreach services. A strategic framework across the United Nations system was important, in view of the challenges the Department faced in building coherence and consistency in the shaping and implementation of the post-2015 agenda. He welcomed the efforts to use all media tools, as well as to integrate the work of the Information Centres. Close collaboration across the Organization through the United Nations Communications Group, was key for the Time for Global Action Campaign.
Currently, he said, the international community faced numerous challenges such as extremism, the situation in Iraq and Syria, the Ebola virus and climate change, to name just a few. It was important to inform the public about such challenges through the use of multiple languages on social media platforms. Multilingualism in the Organization’s information was a key issue for the European Union. Information Centres were of great value to ensure that all were engaged in the final push to shape the next round of development goals. Human rights issues should also be given prominent focus through ongoing attention throughout the year, and not just through special campaigns.
DAVID FORÉS RODRIGUEZ (Cuba), endorsing the statements made on behalf of CELAC and the Group of Friends of Spanish, said the reports presented to the Committee were testimony to the effective use of new technologies in the dissemination of the work of the United Nations. There was a growing gap, however, in information and communication technology. In that light, he urged the Department of Public Information to continue using traditional media. The importance of radio in tackling Ebola was highlighted recently. The Department should hold consultations on how best to utilize new media. He stressed the importance of multilingualism in the Organization’s work, and called for strategies to ensure the publication of press releases in all six official languages. Cuba, he maintained, faced invasion of its communications airwaves by the United States, in violation of the regulations of the UN Charter. Social media was being used for subversion as well; such use of new technologies was contrary to principles of peaceful relations and cooperation. Cuba was ready to work with the international community to build a new world order of communication based on equity and justice.
RICARDO ALDAY GONZÁLEZ (Mexico) said that, for most countries, traditional media continued to be the only source of information on developments around the world. Voicing concern over the digital divide, he urged collaboration among various sectors to bridge it. Equitable access to information media was a necessity for prosperity, he said, stressing the need to make information products available in Spanish. Mexico was ready to work with others to identify ways of achieving that objective effectively. He called for the Department to create new tools to highlight the work of the United Nations in the Millennium Development Goals, and conflict prevention and resolution. Lessons learned could provide lasting benefits in those areas. The pursuit of comprehensive, balanced, and objective information products must be backed by editorial independence and accuracy, he stressed.
THIAGO TAVARES VIDAL (Brazil), associating with CARICOM, said the world had experienced a revolution in how it communicated and obtained information. Those information and communications technologies had changed the way people perceived the world, interacted with others, and treated the process of information. The Department of Public Information had proved capable of using those new technologies, and had a significant presence on social media. Nonetheless, the international community must not lose sight of the fact that the vast majority of people — more than 4.3 billion people — still lacked access to the Internet. In Africa, only 19 per cent of the population had online access. Therefore, traditional means of communication should not fail to receive attention and resources from the Department.
The network of United Nations Information Centres, she said, had a vital role in disseminating the messages of the Organization to local populations. That had proved essential in mobilizing support for the work of the United Nations. Last year, the Centre in Rio became the major source of information about the Organization in Portuguese. The Department should further develop and improve initiates that supported multilingualism, and guaranteed the diffusion of the principles and work of the United Nations.
IHAB HAMED (Syria) said that the Department had a key role in explaining the objective of the United Nations in different parts of the world. It presented the coverage of events throughout the world, and it made and led public opinion. Because of the negative role played by some biased mass media, changing facts, advocating terrorism, and promoting the culture of violence, he stressed the importance of the United Nations in providing credible information, free from politicization and distortion. He saluted journalists who put themselves in harm’s way to cover despicable acts.
He disagreed with some high-ranking officials who described some terrorist organizations as armed opposition groups in Syria. His delegation stressed the importance of the Department’s actions on the question of Palestine, in light of the increasing suffering of the Palestinian people brought about by the Israel occupation and violation of international laws. He urged the Department to continue its international programme on Palestine. It must also focus its efforts in expediting parity among the official languages of the United Nations. Intercultural and interfaith dialogue was necessary for freedom of expression, but that could not be used to attack the beliefs of others. He called on all Member States to cooperate with the Department, as issues such as decolonization, combatting terrorism, or the right of people to sustainable development, were important.
YAEL BITTON (Israel) said that the Holocaust and the United Nations Outreach Programme would mark its tenth anniversary this year. Over the last decade, the international community had brought life to resolution 60/7, which served as a model for educational programmes at the United Nations. The outreach programme produced educational material in all United Nations official languages, and was delivered worldwide through the Organization’s Information Centres. Israel applauded the Holocaust programme for its commitment to initiate a wide range of activities at Headquarters. Israel had partnered with the Department of Public Information and had continued to contribute to the thematic functions that sought to inform, educate, and inspire. Israel welcomed the Department’s open-minded approach, embracing new communication tools and technologies to reach new and young global audiences.
Regarding the Department’s Special Information Programme on the Question of Palestine, she said her country remained concerned that the programme generated a narrative that was biased and misleading. Based on that one-sided mandate, the Israeli Government would continue to not participate in the programme. She reiterated that Israel was willing to engage in the formulation of a more constructive and balanced resolution to mandate further activities.