Fourth Committee Highlights Key Role of Global Communications in Reporting Crises from Restricted Areas, Climate Responsibility, Disinformation
Despite the resource crunch, United Nations communications continue to operate where public interest media are struggling to operate or are prevented from covering the truth, the Fourth Committee (Special Political and Decolonization) heard as it began its review of questions relating to information.
Highlighting work of the Department of Global Communications’ crisis communications cells, Melissa Fleming, Under-Secretary-General for Global Communications, said it “is working hard to meet the challenges of this crisis-laden time”. On Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territory, the Department is amplifying the Secretary-General’s voice, reiterating his calls for a ceasefire and release of all hostages. With no international media allowed to enter Gaza, UN content is being used by press around the world.
“Our content focuses on the desperate humanitarian situation for the people of Gaza, drawing on the first-person testimony of civilians and pulling together the threads of all the UN agencies present,” she said. In Ukraine, the Department is calling out violations of human rights and international humanitarian law, while in Sudan and Haiti, crisis cells have focused attention on the plight of the most vulnerable, she said.
She also highlighted the Department’s climate website, which calls for an urgent and fair transition to clean energy, attracting an average of 1.5 million pageviews per month. Its “Verified initiative”, which counters climate mis- and disinformation, spreads hopeful narratives by recruiting trusted messengers to engage communities, deploying large volumes of creative content and convening audiences around expert insights and solutions that encourage cooperation.
“In climate communications, the most effective messages are the ones that highlight our responsibility to future generations,” she said, highlighting a campaign, titled “The Future Thanks You”, which started with a simple question: “What does your ideal future look like?” More than 30,000 people around the world have already visited a dedicated site to give their answers.
Turning to the Department’s work during the Summit of the Future, she noted the launch of a dedicated peace and security site, including a multimedia explainer on the New Agenda for Peace. The United Nations website received half a million views during the high-Level period, she said, while the flagship UN social media accounts had 6 million engagements and 8.6 million video views across 500 posts.
In addition to live video and audio, the Department also established two live broadcast spots, allowing Heads of State and Government, as well as UN officials, to be interviewed by broadcasters around the world. Post-Summit, it is focusing on advocacy for implementation of Summit outcomes, and will align its messaging around the Organization’s upcoming eightieth anniversary to demonstrate that, after eight decades, the Organization is delivering a clear vision of a reformed multilateralism.
The Department’s multimedia, multilingual UN News teams are gaining momentum online, she reported, adding that their pages received 11.9 million pageviews between July and mid-October. Highlighting a new tactic that has boosted meetings coverage views, she said the News and Media Division is posting teasers online, which are then updated with supporting content. This, along with live blog coverage, is enabling audiences to connect with what is happening in UN meetings as they unfold. Turning to information integrity, she noted the launch of the UN Global Principles for Information Integrity, which lay out a series of recommendations for “a more humane information ecosystem” — a useful resource for Member States in meeting their commitments in the Global Digital Compact, she said. Drawing attention to the liquidity constraints under which the Department works, she said that, although “our teams are very stretched, particularly in the areas of crisis and strategic communications, and information integrity”, the Department is working to support all the key priorities on the UN’s agenda.
In the ensuing interactive dialogue, the observer for the State of Palestine, highlighting the “deliberate killing of 182 Palestinian journalists by Israel” since 7 October 2023, commended UN efforts to raise awareness about the catastrophic humanitarian situation in Gaza. Algeria’s delegate asked how the Department gets information from the field and how it secures staff safety on the ground. Countering that, the representative of Israel spoke about the involvement of “so-called” Palestinian journalists in the 7 October events.
Germany’s representative asked how the Department could assist Member States in meeting global commitments related to information literacy, while other speakers asked for clarifications concerning the implementation of the Global Principles for Information Integrity, including by tech companies.
Responding to the question about the security of communications teams in Gaza, Ms. Fleming highlighted a freelance journalist who was injured in a bombing and had to be evacuated. The Department has also been drawing on the Organization’s humanitarian staff and using their multimedia coverage. “Everyone has become a communicator,” she said, recalling World Health Organization (WHO) medical personnel who were making advocacy pleas online.
The Global Principles for Information Integrity have important recommendations for tech companies, she said. Although “we have seen very little self-regulation in this space”, she said, it is clear those who want a healthier information ecosystem outnumber those who are making it toxic. There is lots of pressure on artificial intelligence (AI) designers and developers to “put the guardrails up before it is too late,” she said.
The Committee also heard from Liliana Baños (El Salvador), Rapporteur of the Committee on Information, who introduced its report (document A/79/21). Summarizing its discussions, he said many delegations expressed concern about the proliferation of misinformation and disinformation regarding climate change, the war in Ukraine and the Israel-Gaza crisis. Delegates highlighted the need to protect the safety of journalists and urged the Department to ensure balanced use of the six official languages, he said.
In the ensuing discussion, delegates highlighted the importance of information integrity and media freedom, especially in the current geopolitical landscape. They welcomed the Global Principles for Information Integrity and called for accountability against those who spread disinformation. As in previous years, several speakers also reiterated the importance of ensuring multilingualism in the Organization’s media products.
Among the latter was the representative of the Dominican Republic, speaking on behalf of the Group of Friends of Spanish, who underscored that multilingualism is essential to multilateralism. Given the lack of linguistic parity, the Department must intensify efforts to incorporate the six official languages into its work. She urged it to produce original content in Spanish and reflect geographic representation in the recruitment of personnel. “Overcoming translation culture and moving towards drafting of content in an official language under the principle of equity is essential for the work of the Organization,” she stressed, emphasizing that Spanish is the world’s fourth most widely spoken language.
The representative of Angola, speaking on behalf of the Community of Portuguese Language Countries, said multilingualism must be integrated into content production as well as promotional campaigns. Portuguese reaches nearly 300 million people and is the most spoken language in the Southern hemisphere, he said. Further, the Organization must implement General Assembly resolution 64/243 (2009) and establish a United Nations Information Centre in Luanda, to meet the needs of Portuguese-speaking African countries. In his national capacity, he added that his Government will continue to work with the Department to identify a good location to house the Centre.
Along similar lines, the representative of Venezuela, who spoke on behalf of the Group of Friends in Defense of the Charter of the United Nations, said multilingualism is a guarantee both of the preservation of linguistic and cultural diversity and of values of the United Nations. Commending the work of the UN system to raise awareness of the plight of the Palestinian people, he noted that at least 129 Palestinian journalists and media workers have been killed by Israel since October 2023, in addition to Lebanese, Syrian and Israeli journalists, comprising the largest number of journalists killed in any conflict in contemporary times.
Latvia’s delegate, also speaking for Lithuania and Estonia, likewise stressed the importance of protecting journalists. Democracies must act together to address disinformation, especially spread by foreign actors, he said, adding that the Kremlin uses propaganda to prop up its aggression against Ukraine. The Baltic States host and support significant groups of independent media from that country. Despite being banned, exiled and threatened with persecution, they remain strongly committed to delivering facts and telling the truth to people inside the Russian Federation, he said. Also noting the ease and affordability of creating synthetic digital content through artificial intelligence, he said this poses a risk to democratic processes, including elections.
It is vital to address the growing spread of false and misleading information in the context of increasing geopolitical fragmentation, the representative of Viet Nam, speaking on behalf of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), said. He highlighted his bloc’s Da Nang Declaration on Media and reiterated support for the Global Principles for Information Integrity. Highlighting the Department’s role in addressing the spread of misinformation and disinformation, including false information directed against United Nations peacekeeping operations, he urged Member States to provide more support for enhancing its crisis communications.
The representative of Uganda, speaking on behalf of the Group of 77 and China, said information provided by the Organization needs to be accurate, reliable and impartial. Urging the Department to avoid the editorialization of breaking news stories and news alerts, he voiced concern about violence against journalists and media professionals, especially in Lebanon and Gaza since October 2023, calling for accountability. He also encouraged the Department to mobilize adequate resources, including by exploring innovative financing options as well as voluntary contributions, to promote multilingualism in its work.
The representatives of Israel, Iran and Lebanon spoke in exercise of the right of reply.