Fourth Committee Approves 2 Draft Resolutions by Consensus as It Concludes General Debate on Questions Relating to Information
The Fourth Committee (Special Political and Decolonization) approved two draft resolutions on questions relating to information today, concluding its general debate on that subject.
Taking up draft resolution B, “United Nations public information policies and activities” (document A/71/21), the Committee approved it without a vote. By its terms, the General Assembly would stress the importance of the Secretariat providing clear, timely, accurate and comprehensive information to Member States, upon their request, within the framework of existing mandates and procedures. It would, by further terms, underline the critical need to address violations of relevant international rules and regulations governing broadcasting in the most appropriate manner. The Assembly would further underline the Secretariat’s responsibility for mainstreaming multilingualism into all its communication and information activities, within existing resources and on an equitable basis, calling upon the Department of Public Information to continue to work with the Coordinator for Multilingualism on best practices.
Also by that text, the Assembly would further stress the importance of efforts to strengthen outreach activities to those Member States remaining outside the network of United Nations information centres, encouraging the Secretary-General to extend such outreach to them, within the context of rationalization. Further, the Assembly would stress that the Department continue to review the allocation of both staff and financial resources to the United Nations information centres in developing countries.
By the terms of two operative paragraphs that triggered discussion about resources, the Assembly would underline the Secretariat’s responsibility in mainstreaming multilingualism into all its communication and information activities, within existing resources and on an equitable basis. It would also emphasize the importance of making use of all the official languages of the United Nations, ensuring their full and equitable treatment in all activities of all the Department’s divisions and offices, with the aim of eliminating the disparity between the use of English and the five other official languages. In that regard, the Assembly would reaffirm its request that the Secretary-General ensure the Department had the necessary capacity to undertake its activities as necessary in all official languages. It would request that that aspect be included in future programme budget proposals for the Department, bearing in mind the principle of parity among all six official languages, while respecting the workload in each.
Acting again without a vote, the Committee then approved draft resolution A, on “Information in the service of humanity” (document A/71/21). By its terms, the General Assembly would urge all countries and United Nations system entities to reduce existing disparities in information flows by increasing assistance for the development of communications infrastructure and capabilities in developing countries. It would seek to ensure for journalists the free and effective performance of their professional tasks and condemn resolutely all attacks against them. It would, by further terms, provide support for practical training programmes for broadcasters and journalists from public, private and other media in developing countries. The Assembly would also urge Member States and United Nations system organizations to enhance regional efforts and cooperation among developing countries, as well as between developed and developing countries.
As the Committee concluded its general debate on questions relating to information, it heard statements delivered by representatives of Nepal and Morocco, as well as by speakers representing the State of Palestine and the International Organization of la Francophonie.
Also speaking today were representatives of the United States, Canada, Japan, Australia and Republic of Korea.
Speaking in exercise of the right of reply were representatives of Algeria and Morocco.
The Fourth Committee will reconvene at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, 25 October, to begin its general debate on the comprehensive review of the whole question of peacekeeping operations in all their aspects.
General Debate
NIRMAL RAJ KAFLE (Nepal), associating himself with the Group of 77, expressed support for a variety of efforts by the Department, including the two evaluations on “gender equality and the empowerment of women” and “the Department’s work relating to partnerships”. He said the Central Library of the Tribhuvan University, Nepal’s designated repository for United Nations publications, was engaged in disseminating information to students, intellectuals, researchers and academics about the Organization’s work in such areas as sustainable development and peacekeeping. Though new media were gaining popularity, their availability and accessibility in developing countries were hindered by poor technical capacity and higher costs, he said. The Department should therefore continue to pursue “the right mix” of traditional and new media, and to consider making the current telephone access to United Nations materials available to the public around the world free of charge through designated toll-free numbers. Among other things, he also encouraged the Department to increase the number of languages in which it disseminated information, including in the Nepali language spoken by millions in his country and beyond.
YASSER HALFAOUI (Morocco), associating himself with the Group of 77 and the Group of Francophone Countries, expressed regret for the lack of available information on peacekeeping activities, noting the obstacles faced by Francophone peacekeepers. There was a preponderance of English-language materials, such as training manuals, that were not available in French, he said, emphasizing that they should be available in all the official languages of the United Nations. Turning to information and communications technology and the use of social networks, he warned about the challenges arising from the digital divide, emphasizing also that United Nations information centres played an important role in many developing countries and should be supported. He went on to express his delegation’s surprise at the recent statement by the representative of Algeria that the report of the Special Committee on Decolonization should be made available online, stressing that the Department should not receive orders from any country. The delegation of Morocco, he said, could also have asked for the dissemination of the 1975 report on the Moroccan Sahara, or the Secretary-General’s report on that question from 2001, but did not accept such logic. Rather, Morocco was focused on the Department’s tasks, as recommended by the Committee on Information.
SAHAR SALEM, observer for the State of Palestine, associated herself with the Group of 77 and commended the Special Information Programme on the Question of Palestine, saying it made an effective and objective contribution in raising international awareness of that issue in a manner consistent with international law and United Nations resolutions. She also expressed appreciation for the media development assistance offered through an annual training programme for young Palestinian journalists. The State of Palestine, in collaboration with the United Nations Division for Palestinian Rights, would present an exhibition in November to honour the resilience of the Palestinian people and the achievements of outstanding individuals and groups in the fields of human rights, education, science, arts and sports, she said. Appealing for delegations to continue their support for the Special Information Programme, she said it was instrumental in fostering support for regional and international efforts to achieve a just, lasting and comprehensive solution to the question of Palestine.
NARJESS SAIDANE (International Organization of la Francophonie), associating herself with the Group of Francophone Ambassadors in New York, echoed the calls for a greater focus on multilingualism within the Department. The basic principle of multilateralism was in question, making it more imperative than ever to understand the impact of the United Nations on the lives of millions of people. The United Nations was on the cusp of reforms that would rely on the ownership of all peoples, which could not happen unless the discussion extended to all six official United Nations languages. The ability to implement effective multilingualism was a true question of survival for the Organization, she said, adding that the Department must ensure that its content was not just translated but actually produced in other languages that could better capture nuanced positions. Partnerships with national institutions were very useful in that regard because they helped to build capacity, she noted. The International Organization of la Francophonie would work with the new Under-Secretary-General in a concrete and creative way to support the Department’s pursuit of effective multilateralism, she added.
Right of Reply
The representative of Algeria, speaking in exercise of the right of reply, cited the 1975 report on the Non-Self-Governing Territories, saying its age did not diminish its value. He asked why Morocco had said the report did not fall within the purview of the Department, which was duty-bound to disseminate information in Territories that had not yet exercised their right to self-determination. All other such reports were on the United Nations website, which was why Algeria was calling out the discrimination, he said, emphasizing that all United Nations bodies must do their job. The question of Western Sahara was not the question of Moroccan Sahara, he stressed, saying that must be the subject of a referendum so that the people could exercise their right to self-determination. All relevant resolutions as well as various reports of the Secretary-General were available on the United Nations website, with the exception of the report in question, he pointed out, calling for equal treatment of all Non-Self-Governing Territories. Algeria was only reaffirming a principle and a right enshrined in the United Nations Charter and in resolution 1514, he added.
The representative of Morocco recalled that, whereas the 1975 Green March had been peaceful, the Algerian delegate was describing it as an invasion. There should be no selectivity in terms of a visit or report, he said, asking why all reports or texts of the United Nations should not be available online. Unruly comparisons had been made between the Charter and other texts, including Security Council resolutions calling upon neighbouring countries to make major contributions to the process, he said, suggesting that the word “positive” should perhaps be added so that such States would be required to make “positive” contributions.
The representative of Algeria responded that the Green March was not peaceful because it had generated the presence of refugees on Algerian territory. If it had been peaceful, it would not have triggered torture, kidnapping, disappearances, and other such consequences. Regarding the reports in question, transparency was a fundamental principle of the United Nations, he observed, calling for the report to be placed on the website alongside all other reports of such visits. Since 2006, after a visit of the Regional High Commissioner of Human Rights to the Tindouf refugee camps and to Morocco, a report had been finalized and should have been submitted to the Security Council. However, regrettably, the report had never been made public. His appeal was nothing new, he said, explaining that he was calling for the report to be made available on an equal footing with other documents. He went on to say that Algeria had always welcomed Security Council resolutions regarding the contributions of observer countries. Algeria had never shirked its responsibility as an observer, having always worked positively and responded favourably to various positions and tours carried out in the region.
The representative of Morocco asked what proof the Algerian delegate had about the nature of the Green March or treatment of refugees. He asked whether the requests for reports fitted within the frame of reference of the Department of Public Information, which had many tasks other than distributing a particular report requested by one delegation. Regarding the observer country issue, he asked how Algeria could be described as such when it was a key player in the Sahara issue, having created the Popular Front for the Liberation of Saguia el‑Hamra and Rio de Oro (Polisario Front). As such, the definition of an observer country was an issue. Regarding self-determination, that was not synonymous with independence, he said, emphasizing that the Moroccan Sahara issue was one of completing his country’s territorial integrity.
Action on Draft Resolutions
The Committee then took up draft resolutions A and B, respectively titled “Information in the service of humanity” and “United Nations public information policies and activities” (document A/71/21).
CEREN HANDE ÖZGÜR (Turkey), Committee Vice-Chair, noted that a draft amendment to draft resolution B (document A/C.4/72/L.9) had been withdrawn by its main sponsor.
The representative of the United States, speaking in explanation of position, said he would join the consensus and withdraw his draft amendment. He added, however, that he remained frustrated with the language in operative paragraph 24 on the request for additional posts for the Department, which mirrored exactly the language from the same text during the sixty‑ninth, seventieth and seventy‑first General Assembly sessions. The United States believed in continual streamlining and transparent budgeting within the Department, he said, emphasizing that paragraph 24 must be read in conjunction with the current draft, which stated that those capacities must be met from current resources. The United States delegation was committed to providing assistance to the United Nations and other Member States in pursuit of free speech and accessible information, he said, stressing that his statement in no way called that support into question.
Acting without a vote, the Committee then approved the draft resolution “Information in the service of humanity”.
It then took up the text “United Nations public information policies and activities” (document A/71/21), approving it also by consensus.
The representative of Canada, emphasizing that her country attached great importance to multilingualism, said operative paragraph 23 clearly called upon the Department to operate within its current resources, and operative paragraph 24 did not negate that language.
The representative of Japan said his delegation was prepared to join the consensus in approving the report of the Committee on Information and was pleased that a vote on that action had been avoided. Regarding operative paragraph 24 of the text, he said that although the United States had withdrawn its proposed amendment, its overall aim had been to address an apparent misunderstanding of the text’s intent in terms of budgetary implications, and was acceptable and understandable. It would be a severe oversight if the Secretariat continued to misread that paragraph, resulting in additional resource requirements for the biennium 2018‑19, despite language in operative paragraph 23 underlining the need to mainstream multilingualism within existing resources. Japan called upon the Secretariat not to ignore agreed language in that paragraph instructing that multilingualism be implemented in a cost-neutral manner, he said.
The representative of Australia said his delegation supported multilingualism and noted that operative paragraph 24 did not create any further programme budgetary implications or call for any further resources. As such, Australia called upon the Department to work within existing resources.
The representative of the Republic of Korea said multilingualism was an important principle governing the Secretariat’s activities and mainstreaming it was an important responsibility. However, as mentioned in operative paragraph 23, that activity should be conducted within existing resources, he said, emphasizing that operative paragraph 24 could not be interpreted as having further programme budgetary implications.