Public Information Department Has Great Responsibility to Inspire Action on 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, Other Processes, Fourth Committee Hears
Multilingualism, Need for Parity among All Official Languages Underlined as Members Begin Debate on Questions Relating to Information
The United Nations Department of Public Information had a great responsibility to inspire action on the new 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and other burgeoning multilateral processes, the Fourth Committee (Special Political and Decolonization) heard today, as it began its consideration of questions relating to information.
Addressing the Committee this morning, Cristina Gallach, Under-Secretary-General for Communications and Public Information, said the Department had seen a number of records recently in terms of hits on social media, accreditation of journalists and website traffic. During the Organization’s recent high-level period — during which Member States adopted the 2030 Agenda and its 17 Sustainable Development Goals — overall traffic had spiked by 71 per cent, she added.
“Yet our work on the Sustainable Development Goals is only just beginning,” she cautioned. “Their universal adoption has placed on us a great responsibility over the next 15 years for raising awareness, and, through that, inspiring action.” The more the Agenda was known, the more Governments and international organizations would be held accountable to advance on implementation.
Looking ahead, she went on to say that a new communications strategy was being developed that would highlight the transition from the Millennium Development Goals to the Sustainable Development Goals at the close of 2015, as well as the latter’s implementation in 2016 and beyond. The Department would also apply a strategic approach in its work on the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in Paris later in 2015.
Hossein Malaki, Rapporteur of the Committee on Information, agreed that the work of the United Nations was constantly expanding to fit the needs of the international community. The Department was an essential part of the Organization, promoting its activities through campaigns on issues including the 2030 Agenda, the dialogue among civilizations, poverty eradication and multilingualism.
As the floor was opened for the Fourth Committee’s annual general debate on information questions, a number of delegations echoed the need for the Department to continue to disseminate information on development issues. Many stressed that the use of the six official United Nations languages — in addition to local languages, where appropriate — was critical to ensuring the inclusion of diverse populations in multilateral processes.
South Africa’s representative, speaking on behalf of the “Group of 77” developing countries and China, said the United Nations had been able, through its public campaigns, to promote a significant number of decisions undertaken by the international community, including such issues such as development, decolonization and human rights. He joined other speakers in stressing that mainstreaming multilingualism into all communications activities was essential in disseminating the Organization’s activities to people around the world.
In a similar vein, Ecuador’s the representative, speaking on behalf of the Community of Latin American States (CELAC), emphasized the need for the Department to distribute its financial and human resources fairly, bearing in mind all the official languages. Spotlighting the growing “digital divide” between developed and developing countries, he also called for the communication of United Nations messages through traditional media such as radio, television and print.
Besides the 2030 Agenda, delegations pointed to a number of other intergovernmental processes that should remain high on the Department’s agenda. In that vein, Thailand’s representative expressed, on behalf of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), particular support for the Department’s efforts at the Third International Conference on Financing for Development, held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, last July. It must also continue to work on the upcoming Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, to be held in Paris in December.
Noting that the Department had been facing challenges in building coherence and consistency in the year’s many inter-related processes, the representative of the European Union called upon it to foster close collaboration with the Executive Office of the Secretary-General through the United Nations Communications Group. He added that the 2016 selection of a new Secretary-General — a process that would be innovative and more transparent than ever before — would be an excellent opportunity to showcase the Organization to a large audience.
Also speaking today were representatives of Trinidad and Tobago (on behalf of the Caribbean Community), Guatemala (on behalf of the Group of Friends of the Spanish Language), Sudan, Mexico, Syria, Venezuela and Lebanon. A representative of the State of Palestine also spoke.
The Committee will reconvene at 10 a.m. Wednesday, 28 October, to continue its general debate on questions relating to information.
Background
Before the Committee was the report of the Committee on Information at its thirty-seventh session (document A/70/21), which contained two draft resolutions titled, respectively, “Information in the service of humanity” (draft resolution A) and “United Nations public information policies and activities” (draft resolution B). Also before the Committee was a report of the Secretary-General on questions relating to information (document A/70/220).
Opening Remarks
HOSSEIN MALEKI (Iran), Rapporteur of the Committee on Information, introduced that body’s report, saying that the United Nations, as the world’s only multilateral organization, played an integral role in global affairs and, as such, its workload was constantly expanding to fit the needs of the international community. The Department of Public Information was an essential part of the United Nations, promoting the world body’s activities through its campaigns on issues of importance, such as the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, decolonization, the dialogue among civilizations, poverty eradication and multilingualism in the United Nations system.
Multilingualism had been key point of discussion in the Committee, including the use of all official United Nations languages across traditional and new media platforms, he continued. Multilingualism was essential to communicating United Nations actions to people around the world, and the fact that the Department’s daily press releases were not issued in all the official languages had raised serious concerns. The limited scope of multilingualism complicated the ability of stakeholders to follow the work of the United Nations in a timely fashion, which contributed to inaccessibility and a lack of transparency. The Committee had stressed the need to mainstream multilingualism into the work of the United Nations in a cost-neutral manner and within existing resources.
Highlighting significant activities of the Department, he said its information centres not only disseminated information in developing countries, but also enhanced the Organization’s reputation. To that end, a proposal had been made for the establishment of a United Nations Information Centre in the Republic of Korea. Furthermore, the commemoration of the Organization’s seventieth anniversary — and the publicity surrounding it — had raised significant awareness about the world body’s work. Delegates had also praised the work of the United Nations Academic Impact, noting its influence on universities and research institutions. The Office of the Secretary-General’s Envoy for Youth had provided an opportunity for the Department to strengthen the voices of young people as a means to combat violent extremism.
Stressing that both new media and traditional means of communication, mainstreamed into all United Nations outreach activities, remained a focus of the Committee’s work, he said that would enable “all members of the global family” to hear and contribute to the Organization’s activities. In addition to dissemination, the Dag Hammarskjöld Library had digitized some 300,000 documents as a means of keeping official records — they were accessible online in all official languages — and an estimated 17 million documents remained to be digitized, which was an ongoing effort.
CRISTINA GALLACH, Under-Secretary-General for Communications and Public Information, noted that the General Assembly had consistently stressed that “the primary mission of the Department of Public Information is to provide, through its outreach activities, accurate, impartial, comprehensive, balanced, timely, relevant and multilingual information to the public on the tasks and responsibilities of the United Nations in order to strengthen international support for the activities of the Organization with the greatest transparency”. Participation and a sense of ownership were vital to that mission, she said. Taking the lead from Member States, the Department had ensured that the Organization was seen and heard at the heart of global public debates, on topics ranging from sustainable development, to peace and security, to human rights and the world body’s seventieth anniversary.
Recalling the recent adoption of Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development, among other recent high-level events, she said the Department had taken full advantage of the global attention focused on the Organization to highlight international priorities and the unique role of the United Nations in advancing solutions to shared challenges. The Department had redoubled efforts to increase the Organization’s reach to the global audience during the Sustainable Development Summit and the High Level week of the seventieth session of the General Assembly, which had included a papal visit, with collaborations across languages, multimedia platforms, as well as with agencies, funds, programmes and offices in the field. Its efforts had resulted in an unprecedented impact, she said, pointing out that records in visibility and engagement had been broken, with some 5,000 journalists accredited to cover meetings, and a 71 per cent increase in overall website traffic during the high-level period.
On social media, records had also been broken in regions where the traditional platforms did not always reach, she continued. All language units had reported huge spikes in their statistics. For example, a specially created hashtag in Chinese for #Action2015 (#行动2015#) had received 130 million views and more than 63,000 comments. In addition, the Department was experimenting with a new Snapchat account, a new social media outlet for interacting with young people in particular. Highlighting other achievements, she said that, as part of the lead-up to the high-level period, the Department had spearheaded the “2015: Time for Global Action” campaign to accelerate actions on sustainable development and climate change as a priority for the United Nations system. It also continued its efforts to make better strategic use of information centres, organizing live briefings on key United Nations issues via WebEx, a web-based video conferencing tool.
“Yet our work on the Sustainable Development Goals is only just beginning,” she said. “Their universal adoption has placed on us a great responsibility over the next 15 years for raising awareness, and, through that, inspiring action.” The more the agenda was known, the more Governments and international organizations would be held accountable to advance on implementation. Looking ahead, a new communications strategy was being developed that would highlight the transition from the Millennium Development Goals to the Sustainable Development Goals at the close of 2015, as well as the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals in 2016 and beyond. The Department would continue to carry out its successful media outreach and public engagement, at Headquarters and also at local and regional levels, through rich content and collaborations with the 63 United Nations information centres, as well as with regional commissions, peace operations and civil society partners such as non-governmental organizations (NGOs). The Department would also apply its strategic approach to its work on the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in Paris later in 2015.
Turning to the Organization’s seventieth anniversary, she said the Department had worked with nearly 85 Member States in the “Turn the World UN Blue” campaign, in which more than 350 monuments and landmarks had been lit up United Nations blue on Saturday, 24 October. The Department, including United Nations information centres as well as regional commissions and offices, had mobilized to raise public awareness of UN70 through numerous activities. They ranged from sports events, to social media campaigns, to exhibitions, open houses and street festivals aimed at galvanizing the public and partners around the milestone anniversary. The latest issue of UN Chronicle had celebrated the seventieth anniversary by featuring eminent contributors, including Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and his three immediate predecessors. They had highlighted key moments and achievements, challenges and obstacles over the past 70 years, she said, noting that the magazine had been translated into all official United Nations languages for the first time since 1992.
In the area of peace and security, the Department had promoted the Leaders’ Summit on Peacekeeping, held on 28 September 2015. It had subsequently worked with many troop- and police-contributing countries and their media to raise awareness of the Summit’s outcomes among their publics. Earlier this month, on the fifteenth anniversary of the Security Council’s adoption of resolution 1325 (2000) on women, peace and security, the Department had worked closely with UN-Women and the Permanent Mission of Spain to highlight in the media the Council’s open debate on the issue and the release of a global study on implementation of resolution 1325 (2000). That promotion had included the creation of a short film that had been shared with peacekeeping missions and United Nations information centres, and posted on social media and the Organization’s website. The Department had also been active in United Nations-wide efforts to address the recent spike in violence and tensions in the Middle East, while promoting dialogue. For example, it had disseminated the Secretary-General’s video message to Israelis and Palestinians last week through multilingual news platforms and through outreach to targeted journalists.
The Department continued to seek ways to bring its information products to a wider, multilingual audience, she emphasized. In 2015, working in partnership with United Nations Academic Impact member Shanghai International Studies University, it had been able to publish a Chinese-language edition of the United Nations handbook, Basic Facts about the United Nations. Additionally, Ahmad Alhendawi, the Secretary-General’s Envoy on Youth, was continuing efforts to highlight the critical importance of addressing the development needs and rights of young people. His office, located within the Department of Public Information, had recently announced the Global Youth Partnership for the Sustainable Development Goals, which would launch a virtual “Youth Gateway”, an innovative online platform inviting young people around the world to undertake actions that would contribute to attainment of the Goals.
Interactive Discussion
The representative of Guatemala asked about coordination between the Department of Public Information and other offices and departments of the Secretariat, noting, for example, that the webpage of the Department of Political Affairs was available only in English. What efforts were being taken to ensure multilingualism on those websites?
Ms. GALLACH responded by say that there were indeed websites that were not under the control of the Department of Public Information, but all its own web pages were in strict compliance with its multilingualism obligations. Whenever possible, the Department encouraged and urged others to undertake similar obligations, but it was up to them to produce more multilingual products.
The representative of Iran referred to the Reham Al-Farra Memorial Journalists Fellowship Programme and the training programme for Palestinian journalists, asking whether they would be expanded. Discussing posts in the United Nations information centres, he noted that although Iran had more than 80 million people, the post of Director was at the P-4 level, and asked whether it would be upgraded.
Ms. GALLACH replied that the Reham Al-Farra Memorial Journalists Fellowship Programme was an “outstanding piece of work” by the Department to support journalists around the world in areas where training was complex to carry out and where there was great need. It was a “professional game changer” in the lives of those participating, she added, saying that she would like to expand it as much as possible, but due to financial constraints, the journalists’ stay in other countries and offices had been cut in order enable expansion of the fellowship. As for posts in the United Nations information centres, she said that was a question of available resources. Any upgrade of personnel in the information centres would mean either an increase in resources or downgrades of other posts, she said. “This is a very difficult balancing act to do.”
Statements
VIRACHAI PLASAI (Thailand), speaking on behalf of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and associating himself with the “Group of 77” developing countries and China, expressed appreciation for the Department’s efforts at the Third International Conference on Financing for Development and the United Nations Sustainable Development Summit. It should stay abreast of upcoming major international conferences on development, such as the Climate Change Conference to be held in Paris, in addition to disseminating information about the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its follow-up process.
Recalling that General Assembly resolution 69/234 recognized that multilingualism promoted unity in diversity and international understanding, he expressed support for calls that the Department and other relevant United Nations agencies make use of all the Organization’s official languages. In addition, ASEAN encouraged Member States, United Nations Information centres and country offices to disseminate information about the Organization in local languages, which would help overcome language barriers faced by a large portion of the world population and allow them to participate in the discourse on important global issues. ASEAN was also pleased to learn of the Department’s work in enhancing public information about United Nations peacekeeping.
Turning to social media, he noted with satisfaction the large increase in the cumulative total likes, views, impressions and followers of United Nations social media accounts, which had risen from 40 million in May 2014 to more than 350 million in May 2015. However, social media were also susceptible to misuse and abuse, he said, warning that inaccurate reporting and distorted information could be used to fuel intolerance, violence and extremism. As part of the global discourse on responsible public information, the United Nations should help tackle that problem, leading by example. Pointing out that there remained vulnerable communities lacking access to advanced communication tools such as the Internet, he called upon the United Nations to continue the use of traditional media to reach out to such groups and prevent them from being misled by disinformation spread by extremist groups.
JOSÉ EDUARDO PROAÑO (Ecuador), speaking on behalf of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC), said that while the regional group supported the spontaneity and agility of electronic communication, the growing digital gap between developed and developing countries made it essential to continue the use of traditional methods, such as radio, television and print media, to transmit messages of the United Nations since they still comprised the major sources of dissemination in developing countries. As for new technology, there was an urgent need to build regional and international governance frameworks based on international law and respect for human rights, he stressed. CELAC was concerned about the violation of radio-electronic frequencies, and underscored the importance of using information and communications technologies in ways that remained fully compatible with the United Nations Charter.
Turning to multilingualism, he noted that the issuance of daily press releases had not yet been expanded to all official languages, in line with full respect for parity. As a matter of priority the Department must design a strategy to deliver its press releases in all languages, in a cost-neutral manner by the thirty-eighth session of the Committee on Information, at the latest. Furthermore, it must distribute financial and human resources fairly, bearing in mind all the official languages, especially with regard to United Nations web page and through social networks. CELAC commended the Department’s efforts in continuing its webcast of General Assembly and Security Council meetings in the six official languages, he said. Overall, however, despite the rapid development of information technology platforms, millions of people remained excluded from United Nations activities. “There will be no effective action by the United Nations Organization without proper dissemination of its work,” he added.
VLADAMIR BUDHU (Trinidad and Tobago), speaking on behalf of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), said that in 2015, the United Nations had taken significant steps towards consolidating global partnerships for development. The spread of information had played a considerable role in that progress since it accelerated human understanding, bridged differences and spread awareness of sustainable development for all. In that regard, all official United Nations languages must be given equal standing in all aspects of the Organization’s work, including the website.
United Nations information centres were collaborators of Governments, civil society and media partners in efforts to ensure the widest reach of the Organization’s message, she continued. Many of the centres’ activities in 2015 had been developed within the framework of the world body’s seventieth anniversary and the adoption of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. CARICOM applauded the Department’s efforts to raise awareness of the history of the Transatlantic Slave Trade and the struggles of its victims, she said stressing that the Transatlantic Slave Trade was the darkest chapter of human history and must not be forgotten.
MAHLATSE MMINELE (South Africa), speaking on behalf of the Group of 77 and China, reiterated the strengthening of cooperation between the Department and the Committee on Information in promoting United Nations ideals. The Organization had been able to promote, through public campaigns, significant decisions undertaken by the international community, including on the post-2015 development agenda, decolonization and human rights, he noted. In that regard, mainstreaming multilingualism into all communications activities was essential in disseminating the activities of the United Nations to people around the world.
Yet the Group of 77 and China remained concerned about the continuing disparity in the use of the official languages on the United Nations website and in the daily press releases, he said, encouraging the Department to reinforce its efforts to narrow the gap among different languages. The Group also regretted that the Secretary-General’s report on questions relating to information lacked statistics on the number of visits by language to the United Nations website. The Department must provide such information to Member States, as it would be useful for decision-making on matters relating to the dissemination of public information. He also underlined the importance of United Nations information centres in enhancing the world body’s public image.
ANTONIUS WILHELMUS VAN DEN AKKER (European Union) stated said it was necessary to evaluate how to avoid duplication of communications work in the different divisions of the United Nations. Noting that the Department had been facing challenges in building coherence and consistency during the many inter-related processes of 2015, he called for close collaboration with the Executive Office of the Secretary-General, through the United Nations Communications Group.
In 2016, a new Secretary-General would be chosen and the selection process would be innovative, with a stronger role for the General Assembly as well as greater transparency, he said, adding that the process would be an excellent opportunity to showcase the Organization to a large audience. As for mainstreaming multilingualism into the Secretariat’s information and communications activities, within existing resources and on an equitable basis, that was of great importance to the European Union and its member States, he said, pointing out that the regional bloc had 24 official working languages in constant use. The European Commission had published a website to which various United Nations bodies contributed stories each month as part of partnership programmes around the world under the slogan “Our World, Our Dignity, Our Future”.
ANA CRISTINA RODRÍGUEZ PINEDA (Guatemala), speaking on behalf of the Group of Friends of the Spanish Language, said language units could have a direct impact on the Organization’s work, she said, adding that it was of particular interest for the Group of Friends to strengthen links with other language groups because it believed in the wealth of diversity and the fact that multilingualism “brings us all together”. She expressed gratitude for the Department’s efforts to create new information portals and to increase accessibility. The Group of Friends was concerned, however, that those products did not always respect the principle of multilingualism. It was also of concern that differences in content remained on the web pages of different languages. Such disparities compromised public perceptions of the Organization, she said, emphasizing that content must be generated in each official language, and that the Department must not fall back on translation.
She went on to note that the Secretary-General’s report included neither statistics nor disaggregated data on the evolution in the number of visits to the United Nations website, stressing that it should include such statistics in the future. However, it was encouraging that the draft resolution to be approved addressed multilingualism, with a view to eradicating the discrepancy between English and the five other official languages of the Organization. The lack of resources was not an excuse for the absence of multilingualism, she said, emphasizing the need to distribute that “paucity” equally. In a similar vein, the daily press releases must be issued in Spanish as well English and French, she said. The Group supported efforts to undertake such efforts “based on creative solutions” that were cost-neutral. It was not acceptable to favour one language over another, she stressed.
Speaking in her national capacity, she joined with CELAC and the Group of 77 and China in stating that a review of the Department’s policies would allow Member States to participate in its planning and other activities. Guatemala urged the Department to use social media in all official languages, taking into account their immediacy, and to provide statistics on the use of social media outlets. It was necessary to modify the United Nations information architecture in order to allow it to adapt to the reality of the world. She expressed hope that existing resources would be used equitably and creatively, while voicing regret that the issuance of daily press releases was still not taking place in all official languages.
ELHAFIZ EISA ABDALLA ADMA (Sudan), associating himself with the Group of 77 and China, said journalism was no longer confined to local activities. The world had become a small village, and journalism a means of transmitting events in all fields, as well as an essential tool for providing analysis about the realities and consequences of international actions. Since the United Nations was the “melting pot” for developing ideas concerning peace and security, information presaged all its actions. The Department was in dire need of a spirit of cooperation in bridging the gap between information available to developed and non-developed countries, and in conveying realities and effective solutions without the influence of agendas set by dominant countries, he said, before calling upon the Department “to uplift all dialogues” as a means to finding solutions to communication challenges, while coordinating efforts between international and regional media for the transmission of essential information.
RICARDO ALDAY GONZÁLEZ (Mexico), while recognizing the Department’s proactive efforts in adapting new technologies to disseminate information to as many countries as possible, expressed concern about the growing digital divide. In keeping with the 2030 Agenda, Governments must reduce the divide, he said, noting that access to new technologies drove not only development, but also parity with other countries. Mexico emphasized the availability of real-time information in Spanish, the second most widely spoken language in the world and the second most read on the Internet. Additionally, the Department held great relevance in peacekeeping activities, conveying new realities on the ground, pointing out the challenges ahead and analysing lessons learned. However, despite major technological progress, “nothing takes the place of presence on the ground”. The coordination between the offices of the Secretary-General and the President of the General Assembly was also important in ensuring that messages remained relevant and timely in all official languages. Such efforts would result in a better understanding of United Nations activities on the part of leaders and peoples around the world, he said.
IHAB HAMED (Syria), associating himself with the Group of 77 and China, said the Department had the important responsibility of spreading messages of peace in a world threatened by conflicts, sectarianism and radicalism. Information had a considerably significant effect on public opinion; it not only conveyed events, but sometimes led and created them. In that regard, the adverse role played by some mass media was disconcerting, as they served “narrow political agendas”. The United Nations should therefore rely only on credible information sources, he emphasized. Syria condemned the targeting of journalists, including by such groups as Da’esh, and rejected the description by some United Nations officials of certain terrorist groups as “armed opposition”. He emphasized the need for the Department to redouble its efforts with regard to the question of Palestine, given the escalating suffering of the Palestinian people. The Department should also accelerate the parity of official languages, with a particular emphasis on Arabic. While freedom of expression was a global right that must be protected and fostered, it was not acceptable to use that right to attack the cultural heritage of others, he stressed.
LISBET CUAURO (Venezuela), joining CELAC and the Group of Friends of Spanish, commended the Department’s efforts in giving more visibility to the work of the United Nations. Highlighting certain particular issues, she said outreach campaigns on the nature and scope of the Ebola epidemic had been an opportunity to educate populations. Expressing support for the inalienable right of peoples subjected to colonialism and foreign occupation, she reiterated her country’s support for a free and sovereign State of Palestine, in line with the pre-1967 borders, and called upon Israel to end its policy of occupation and illegal settlement building. The post-2015 development agenda was an unprecedented opportunity to bring the world’s peoples together in their efforts to eradicate poverty, protect the environment and promote human rights, she said, adding that bridging the digital divide in the use of information and communication technology was an important aspect of that agenda. Venezuela also supported equitable use of all six official United Nations languages. Finally, she voiced concern about the actions of some States in using information and communication technology to violate the right of other States to sovereignty and privacy, and rejected propaganda campaigns by major media outlets which distorted events in developing countries while trying to stigmatize those countries.
CHARBEL WEHBI (Lebanon) said that, since the Department was responsible for raising the profile of the United Nations around the world, it must emphasize the importance of relationships between Member States and civil society institutions. There was also a need for it to ensure a balance between the use of old and new media, he said. Lebanon welcomed the United Nations website as a way of releasing statements and commended the Organization’s presence on social media, which would enable it to build new audiences. However, it remained essential to ensure that statements and other information were published in all six official languages and on all platforms. As one of the countries hosting United Nations information centres, in addition to a significant peacekeeping operation, Lebanon acknowledged the difficulty of operating with total transparency, but commended the efforts of the information centres as they carried local voices forth, he said, urging the Department to consider improving their financing and expansion.
SAHAR SALEM of the State of Palestine said that Israeli occupying forces continued to systematically and deliberately prevent journalists from conveying the “grim reality” of that country’s illegal and aggressive practices against the people of the Occupied Palestinian Territories. Since the beginning of October, Israeli forces had committed at least 39 violations against journalists, and the State of Palestine reiterated its call to the Committee, as well as to international organizations concerned with freedom of the press, to step up efforts to protect Palestinian journalists and demand a halt to Israel’s violations of freedom of the press under international law. In previous statements before the Committee, he recalled, the delegation of the State of Palestine had emphasized the importance of organizing and promoting fact-finding news missions to the Occupied Palestinian Territories, and hoped the Departmentwould implement them as soon as possible, given sufficient funding and staff. He reaffirmed the importance of the Department’s Special Information Programme on the Question of Palestine and its instrumental role in fostering regional and international support for a solution to the question of Palestine and the end of the Arab-Israeli conflict, which had reached a critical juncture.