Global Communications Department Vital Bridge between UN, International Community, Delegates Tell Information Committee, Urging Greater Use of Multilingualism
Amid multiplying disinformation, rising tensions and armed conflicts — including in Gaza and Ukraine — the Department of Global Communications serves as a vital bridge between the United Nations and the global community, delegates told the Committee on Information today, as it concluded the general debate of its forty-sixth session today.
Numerous speakers — among them, the representatives of Italy, Morocco and Japan — spotlighted the Department’s work in putting forth the first “Global Principles on Information Integrity” in the run-up to the Summit of the Future in September, welcoming its explicit references to artificial intelligence (AI) and the risks AI poses to the global information environment.
Such risks include the ability to create and distribute highly realistic manipulated imagery, video and audio at unprecedented speed and scale, the United Kingdom’s representative pointed out. Like other delegates, he expressed concern about the threat already posed by disinformation to UN peacekeeping missions, designed by malign actors to discredit the UN and turn local populations against peacekeepers.
The speaker for Nepal — one of the largest troop- and police-contributing countries — underscored the importance of raising public awareness about UN peacekeeping successes and challenges. He welcomed the Department’s “Service and Sacrifice” campaign, which sheds light on the more than 2 million men and women peacekeepers who have risked their lives to protect some of the world’s most vulnerable people.
Also underling the pressing importance of countering mis- and disinformation campaigns in the context of armed conflict, the observer for the State of Palestine stressed that Israel’s narratives dehumanize Palestinians to make the suffering inflicted on them legitimate, pardonable, necessary, “or even an existential obligation”. Further, Israel is preventing international journalists from entering Gaza and has killed 140 Palestinian journalists, she said, asking: “Since when is speaking the truth a crime?”
Adding to that, the speaker for Algeria emphasized that it is “impossible” to speak about the media without addressing journalist safety. Journalists in Gaza are being targeted by a campaign designed to “dissuade them from conveying a clear image of the destruction being inflicted on the Strip and the crimes being committed against its people”, he observed, urging the Department to raise awareness.
Along similar lines, Ukraine’s delegate said that Moscow’s information warfare creates “a parallel reality where Ukraine attacks a nuclear State, Ukrainians kill each other, destroy their own homes, flood their own territories, and are even ready to blow up their own nuclear power station.”
Against the backdrop of such challenges, the Department’s press releases provide “almost instantaneous information on UN activities and constitute the only means of ensuring transparency, accountability and institutional memory”, said the speaker for Argentina. He further emphasized that — despite their potential — technological tools must be combined with human supervision “to guarantee the quality and political, cultural and social sensitivity in content creation and its translation”.
To this end, multilingualism plays a vital role, said the speaker for China, who urged enhanced resources to enable adequate Chinese-language coverage. Meanwhile, his counterpart from Spain asked: “Why — when there are budget cuts — multilingualism is the first victim?” Opposing cuts in an area that “brings so much to the Organization,” he stated: “For every euro, dollar, yuan or yen invested in multilingualism, the UN reaps much broader benefits.”
Many also said that the Department of Global Communications should focus on economic slowdowns facing developing countries and challenges linked to achieving the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, with the representative of the Republic of Korea focusing on the need to bridge the digital divide. For his part, the speaker for El Salvador underscored that the Department should intensify its efforts to disseminate fact-based narratives that highlight the positive contribution of migrants to sustainable development and recognize them as rights holders.
Mexico’s delegate said that, in a global context that profits from polarization, the UN should promote stories of empathy and solidarity — “not only as ideals to which we must aspire but realities that allow us to respond effectively to the widest possible range of global challenges”.
Statements
The representative of Argentina, associating himself with the Group of 77 and China and the Group of Friends of Spanish, supported the Department of Global Communications’ efforts to continue positioning the UN as a source of information issued for the global public good. As multilingualism is the Organization’s “fundamental value”, he stressed that the Department should continue to move from a “translation culture” that takes English as its base language towards a truly “multilingual culture”. The particularities of different languages must be considered at all stages of communication — from the moment communication campaigns and content are conceived. He urged the Secretariat to consider this trend when allocating existing resources, particularly for personnel, to respond to the growing demand for updated content and information for Spanish speakers.
Regarding the multilingual coverage of the sessions of the main and subsidiary bodies, he supported efforts to produce press releases in the six official languages. “These reports provide almost instantaneous information on UN activities and constitute the only means of ensuring transparency, accountability and institutional memory,” he said. He further underscored that technological tools offer an opportunity to streamline the multilingual content production process, reaching more diverse audiences. However, “human supervision is essential to guarantee the quality and political, cultural and social sensitivity in content creation and its translation,” he asserted, adding: “It is through this combination of technology with human supervision that we can achieve an optimal balance between efficiency and quality, making it possible to broaden the limits of the UN’s capacity to produce multilingual content.”
The representative of Nepal, aligning himself with the Group of 77 and China, observed that “mis- and dis-information spread like wildfire, eroding trust, sowing discord and undermining the very fabric of society”. Disparities in access also persist, exacerbating inequalities and marginalizing vulnerable people — especially in the developing world where one third of the population is still offline. In that context, he expressed hope that ongoing discussions regarding the global digital compact result in an accessible, equal and secure digital commons. He went on to state that the Department of Global Communications serves as a “vital bridge” between the UN and the global community, welcoming its work to identify crises and emerging reputational risks and to strengthen responses to those situations. Adding that Nepal is one of the largest troop- and police-contributing countries, he welcomed the Department’s “Service and Sacrifice” campaign and underlined the importance of raising awareness of peacekeeping operations’ successes and challenges.
The representative of Iran, aligning himself with the Group of 77 and China, called on the Department to promote accurate, language-inclusive and credible information, stressing the need to avoid editorializing on UN media platforms. He called for enhancing public awareness of the growing suffering caused by multiple crises around the world, including in Palestine, of the exploitation of platforms such as the Security Council for unilateral objectives and of the harmful effects of unilateral coercive measures. He rejected the misuse of information and disinformation to fuel violence and hatred against communities, such as by portraying a terrorist stereotype of a specific religion’s believers. The use of information and communications technologies should not be incompatible with the United Nations Charter. Voicing concern over the digital divide, he called for inequalities to be rectified and for the needs of developing nations to be prioritized to this end.
The representative of Bangladesh, associating himself with the Group of 77 and China, commended the Department’s awareness-raising campaigns, reaching diverse audiences and partnering with different stakeholders. Given the proliferation of misinformation and disinformation surrounding the existential threat of climate change and the interrelated shocks to the food supply and fuel prices, it is imperative to ensure information integrity. In this regard, he highlighted the Department’s efforts to develop a voluntary code of conduct for information integrity on digital platforms. The Department’s role in supporting the UN’s climate action is also critical to reach wider audiences, he added. Noting the Department’s continuous efforts to promote multilingualism, he stated: “We must save the small languages from extinction as part of promoting multilingualism that will help build an inclusive, creative and tolerant society.” Additionally, he called on the Department to raise awareness about migrants’ rights and publicize their contribution.
The representative of Madagascar, aligning herself with the Group of 77 and China and the Group of French-Speaking Ambassadors, welcomed the Department’s efforts to strategically communicate on key issues such as armed conflict, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and climate change. In that context, she encouraged the Department to focus on economic slowdowns facing developing countries, as well as on challenges linked to achieving the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. She also urged the Department to continue disseminating, through its Information Centres, information on UN activities “in as many languages as possible” — particularly through local languages so that those audiences can better understand the Organization’s work. Adding that the literal translation of one language to another does not necessarily convey appropriate meaning, she urged the Department to explore innovative financing options to “maintain the equal use of the six official languages” on all UN platforms.
The representative of Portugal stated that promoting and preserving information integrity may be the only option to answer to the current “information emergency”, as the emissions of toxic information keep growing, year upon year. Communication must be a two-way street, and “we should keep listening, particularly to the voices of women and girls, young persons, minorities, and other vulnerable groups,” he said — calling for increased media literacy and closing the digital divide. As multilingualism is a core principle of the UN, he firmly supported efforts to “ensure a level playing field for all six official languages”, while acknowledging that they “still leave billions of people forced to make use of borrowed languages to gain a better insight into the workings of the United Nations”. He therefore welcomed the invaluable work of the Portuguese unit of UN News and the work in Portuguese of the United Nations Regional Information Centre for Western Europe.
The representative of Thailand said that the Secretariat should develop its guidelines that promote information integrity and prevent its abuse, such as the display of inappropriate photographic and video images at meetings and events conducted within the UN. One practical way to deal with this issue is for UN cameras/video recorders to immediately zoom out once a delegation begins to show photographic or video images on his or her iPad or mobile phone screen. He further called for a scaled-up response to information threats of misinformation, disinformation, and hate speech with a holistic approach and cooperation from all key stakeholders. Encouraging more engagement with constituencies, particularly women, youth and local communities, he called for strengthening the network of UN Information Centres and Resident Coordinator offices to support the Organization’s communication strategies.
The representative of Ukraine spotlighted the shelling of Kharkiv a week ago, which struck a local television tower, adding: “Pictures of the television tower broken in half have become a reminder of the critical role that Russia assigns to information warfare in its aggression toolbox.” Calling attention to propaganda from Russian State-run media and the arrest and torture of Ukrainian media workers in occupied parts of the country, he deplored the weaponization of information, pointing out that a member of the Committee has instrumentalized information to trigger and fuel its war of attrition. He went on to state that rhetoric by the Russian Federation fosters a “parallel reality where Ukraine attacks a nuclear State, Ukrainians kill each other, destroy their own homes, flood their own territories, and are even ready to blow up their own nuclear power station”.
He voiced regret that such “balderdash” is translated for an audience of millions in the Russian Federation, where an information bubble is aggressively maintained, including through the killing of those considered a threat. Such war propaganda intends to motivate the Russian people to join the occupation army in Ukraine and sends “a clear message of impunity for all war crimes and crimes against humanity they have committed and will commit in Ukraine”, he said. Propaganda from Moscow is also recognized as a global threat, undermining democratic processes. Turning to comments by the Russian Federation, which he characterized as “a vivid example of practices that our Committee is intended to counter”, he drew attention to the mention of Vladlen Tatarsky, stating that he was a bank robber in Donbas, who joined occupation forces and was likely killed for his proximity to Prigozhin, the leader of the Wagner Group, leading him to criticize the Russian military command. He called on the Committee and the Department to address war propaganda, making use of all existing instruments.
The representative of Spain, associating himself with the European Union and the Group of Friends of Spanish, observed that the Department of Global Communications has had to meet its objectives in a constantly changing landscape: from the multiplication of disinformation to the emergence of increasingly complex AIs, its work has been one of continuous adaptation. Even though “these rooms, these corridors are the heart of global multilateralism”, there is still a long way to go to equalize the use of official languages, he said, asking: “Why — when there are budget cuts — multilingualism is the first victim?” Opposing cuts in an area that “brings so much to the Organization,” he stated: “For every euro, dollar, yuan or yen invested in multilingualism, the UN reaps much broader benefits.” In this regard, he stressed the need to expand the teams of Spanish speakers and the content generation in Spanish.
The representative of the United States said that the Department’s work is essential to provide the international community with accurate information – “whether it’s about COVID, climate change or conflicts around the globe, including in Ukraine”. “At the same time, we, as an international community, must continue to call out those countries and individuals spreading disinformation and blocking access to information,” he stressed, as this has undermined local trust in the UN and threatened peacekeepers’ safety. Turning to the war in Ukraine, he spotlighted the Russian Federation’s use of “classic disinformation tactics” to deflect attention, as well as its efforts to silence and punish its critics. Adding that his country took “decisive action” to support free access to information when the people of Iran rose up in protest against their Government in 2022, he underscored that the United States remains committed to actively supporting Internet freedom in Iran and elsewhere.
The representative of Italy, associating herself with the European Union, underscored the importance of the Department’s work, calling for decisive collective action to address the issue of information manipulation and disinformation, in the context of an “election year”, when almost half of the world population is expected to vote. She commended the Department’s work in putting forth the first Global Principles on Information Integrity in the run-up to the Summit of the Future in September, welcoming its addressing of the issue of artificial intelligence. That topic, as well as the strengthening of information integrity and countering disinformation are among the priorities of the current Italian presidency of the Group of 7, she added. Therefore, she hoped that the resolution the Committee would adopt will, for the first time, include explicit references to artificial intelligence and the risks it poses to the global information environment.
The representative of the United Kingdom noted that on the cusp of another technological revolution, generative artificial intelligence has enormous potential but also creates new risks and amplifies existing ones around information manipulation, mis- and disinformation, with the ability to create and distribute highly realistic manipulated imagery, video, and audio at unprecedented speed and scale. Social media companies, the technology sector and civil society will need to work with Governments to tackle AI-generated manipulation and interference in the information environment. He voiced concern over the threat already posed by disinformation to UN peacekeeping operations, designed by malign actors to discredit the UN and turn local populations against peacekeepers. He further echoed the concerns of his Ukrainian colleague, calling out Russian Federation disinformation. Emphasizing that good, independent journalism reported freely — without fear — is essential for a democratic and just society, he urged the Russian Federation to immediately release all those it has unlawfully detained — including Vladimir Kara-Murza and Evan Gershkovich.
The representative of El Salvador, associating herself with the Group of 77 and China and the Group of Friends of Spanish, said that, against the backdrop of the rapid evolution of the information landscape, the Information Committee’s mandate becomes even more pertinent. Expressing concern about the spread of misinformation and hate speech, she stressed that migrants — who often find themselves in vulnerable situations — also face narratives that encourage their discrimination and stigmatization. Therefore, she urged the Department of Global Communications to intensify its efforts to combat these phenomena and disseminate fact-based narratives that highlight the positive contribution of migrants to sustainable development and recognize them as rights holders. “Disinformation also has a gender dimension that cannot be ignored,” she pointed out, noting the increase in gender misinformation that excludes women from public spaces, reduces their participation and limits their access to leadership positions.
The representative of Algeria, aligning himself with the Group of 77 and China, welcomed the Department’s promotion of efforts towards socioeconomic development, peace and security in Africa, including through its e-magazine “Africa Renewal”. He nevertheless emphasized the need to guarantee access to information that is accurate, targeted, multilingual and impartial across UN platforms and publications. In that context, he called for “publications on meetings coverage to be sufficiently accurate and objective” and “independent of any biased interpretation — especially given that UN websites are considered some of the most official and credible for their users”. He added that it is “impossible” to speak about the media without addressing journalist safety. Journalists in the occupied Gaza Strip are being targeted by a campaign designed to “dissuade them from conveying a clear image of the destruction being inflicted on the Strip and the crimes being committed against its people”, he said, urging the Department to raise awareness.
The representative of Japan, stating that she looked forward to negotiating a successful resolution, welcomed the draft text summary of the Global Principles for Information Integrity received at this month’s informal meeting. A nuanced approach is key to shaping digital governance, she said, noting the need to mitigate risks of emerging technologies while maximizing their benefits. Japan will continue to serve as a leading voice in harmonizing AI governance to promote the SDGs and foster an inclusive, open, safe and secure digital space. She commended the work of UN Information Centres and highlighted efforts by the Tokyo Information Centre to enhance recognition of the SDGs, resulting in more than 90 per cent of Japanese citizens able to identify them. Ahead of the Summit for the Future, Japan remains actively engaged in negotiations for the pact, along with the Declaration on Future Generations and the Global Digital Compact.
The representative of Cuba, aligning himself with the Group of 77 and China and the Group of Friends of Spanish, reported that the computerization of Cuban society remains a priority in the national socioeconomic development plan. This will continue despite the illegal blockade imposed by the United States against Cuba, which is negatively impacting development of the information-and-communications-technology sector. That blockade is the “primary obstacle to achieving a better flow of information”, he stressed, as it makes it both more difficult and more expensive to ensure connectivity across the country. Economic losses in this sector between March 2022 and February 2023 are estimated at $41.2 million, and pressure continues on companies that have trade relations — or are interested in negotiating — with Cuban businesses. “No country can usher in technological modernization in these conditions,” he stressed. Nevertheless, he reported that Cuba has increased mobile telephone coverage, Internet access and Wi-Fi connection points across the country.
The representative of China, aligning himself with the Group of 77 and China, underscored the importance of the Department’s role in disseminating information on elections, climate change, conflicts, and in combating mis- and disinformation. Ahead of the Summit for the Future in September, he underscored the need to allocate adequate resources to priority agendas, including sustainable development, good governance, and peace and security. The Department must elevate professional standards and spearhead the fight against misinformation, disinformation and hate speech, he said, noting that emerging technologies have lowered the threshold for generating them. States should promote fact-based information without double standards. He went on to stress the importance of multilingualism, underscoring the need for daily press releases in all six official languages as soon as possible. On that, he called for resources to be enhanced, enabling adequate Chinese-language coverage, noting that it is insufficient for English dispatches to be merely translated into other languages.
The representative of Mexico, aligning himself with the Group of Friends of Spanish, said that the Department must educate the global public and Member States on the rationale behind upcoming peacekeeping reforms and calibrate expectations about their outcomes. “This work is particularly significant in Africa, where the majority of peacekeeping operations are deployed,” he emphasized. It is also on that continent where discussions regarding support for regional peace forces “are in their most advanced stages”, he observed, underlining the consequent need to inform regional populations about the responsibilities that will be shouldered by the UN and those that will be assumed by regional partners. He added that, in a global context that profits from polarization, the UN must be capable of promoting messages and stories of empathy and solidarity — “not only as ideals to which we must aspire, but realities that allow us to respond effectively to the widest possible range of global challenges”.
The representative of Bolivia, aligning with the Group of 77 and China, and the Group of Friends of Spanish, emphasized the need to tackle problems created by the misuse or malicious use of information. Given that anyone can create or share content online, it is vital to build audiences’ critical capacities to enable them to distinguish truthful from erroneous information. The use of information technologies to attack others and use discriminatory language is not freedom of expression; it is hate speech. Citing United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN-Women) figures that find that 63 per cent of women have access to the Internet, compared to 69 per cent of men, she said that while this gap is improving, such technologies also are leading to new forms of harassment and abuse, disproportionately impacting women. Therefore, she underscored the need to ensure online privacy and security and to create a digital environment free of gender-based violence. Turning to multilingualism, she encouraged international organizations to translate treaties and international agreements into various languages, including Indigenous languages.
The representative of the Republic of Korea emphasized the need both to ensure information integrity and for the Department to disseminate information based on facts and evidence through its website and social media. This is especially important in light of the rapid development of emerging technology, including artificial intelligence. For its part, the Republic of Korea will continue supporting the Department’s efforts to promote robust anti-misinformation and anti-disinformation campaigns, and he called on the Department to further enhance its fight against these phenomena. Also stating that his country is committed to bridging the digital divide, he reported that it shares digital technologies and data with developing countries. “As one of the largest digital-related ODA [official development assistance] providers, the Republic of Korea will continue to join global efforts to bridge the digital gap,” he said.
The representative of Morocco pointed out that there is increased interest in the work and deliberations of the United Nations, against the backdrop of various global challenges, leading to a growing number of users — including media, news organizations and universities — seeking credible information through the Organization’s website and social media pages. Further, he called for the promotion of the use of the Organization’s six official languages through enhanced provision of resources, and called for the urgent need to combat misinformation, disinformation and hate speech. On that, he commended the Department for its various campaigns to combat such phenomena, including the Verified Campaign and the Service and Sacrifice Campaign. Spotlighting the Secretary-General’s proposals in his Policy Brief 8, on Global Guidelines on Information Integrity on Digital Platforms, he hoped that those constructive proposals would be taken up at the Summit for the Future.
The observer for the State of Palestine, aligning herself with the Group of 77 and China, underscored that Palestinians are facing “a new phase of ethnic cleansing in Gaza and the West Bank”, which includes colonization, embargo, genocide, organized famine, obstruction of humanitarian aid and the targeting of innocent Palestinian civilians. “Human conscience must not close its eyes to what is happening in Gaza,” she urged, stating that Israel’s narratives dehumanize Palestinians to make the suffering inflicted on them legitimate, pardonable, necessary “or even an existential obligation”. She also said that Israel is preventing international journalists from entering Gaza and has killed 140 Palestinian journalists. She asked: “Is that the democracy that Israel is trying to show the world?” Adding that Israel’s campaign to dehumanize Palestinians has failed and that — despite the killing and destruction — Palestinian journalists have continued their work to show the suffering ongoing in Gaza, she asked: “Since when is speaking the truth a crime?”
The representative of the International Organization of la Francophonie (OIF) commended the collaboration between the Department and the OIF’s teams, including the consultations held on the United Nations Global Principles for the Integrity of Information on Digital Platforms. He highlighted the importance of the systematic integration of multilingualism into the United Nations’ information and communication activities and in the implementation of mandates. The publication in March of the United Nations Strategic Framework on Multilingualism marks a step forward, as does the Secretary-General’s biennial report on multilingualism. The Framework identifies, among areas for action, the strengthening of multilingualism in the Organization’s communication products and platforms, in particular websites and social media, where there are significant disparities between entities in the implementation and understanding of the “minimum standards for multilingualism of United Nations websites”, he added.
Turning to information integrity, which poses a challenge to Francophone countries, he noted that the OIF engages in consultations with the Department on the Global Principles. The OIF also supports its Member States in improving and adapting their public policies and regulatory mechanisms, taking into account the right to freedom of expression and the right of access to a plurality of free, reliable and independent information. He also highlighted other initiatives put forth by the OIF, including a digital platform to combat misinformation, and its moderation, fact-checking, reporting and complaint mechanisms, which have been made available in local languages. Moreover, the OIF supports research and access to information, encouraging the production of research on information integrity, and facilitates its dissemination.
Right of Reply
The representative of Iran, speaking in exercise of the right of reply, said that the United States “continuously pretends to be concerned about other nations’ human rights”; yet, it does not hesitate to support violations of those rights in Palestine. Further, it cracks down on students and professors protesting such support, “reneging on the principles of human rights it always claims to uphold”. Turning to that country’s interference in Iran’s internal affairs, he said that the illegal operation of satellites in Iranian territory by United States companies — with Government backing — is a breach of Iran’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. Additionally, the United States’ biased, unilateral sanctions prevent access to data sources, such as when Iranian students and researchers are restricted from connecting to online databases. “The United States is not in a position to pretend as a human-rights defender,” he stressed, urging that country to let other nations determine their own destiny without external intervention.
The representative of the Russian Federation said he wished to address unfounded accusations about his country’s use of propaganda as a weapon and disinformation in the context of the crisis in Ukraine. Addressing the Ukrainian delegate’s examples of hate speech put forth by his country, which the United States’ delegate called “eloquent examples”, he wished to address one such “eloquent” example by the Ukrainian official Mykhailo Podolyak, who said, in an interview with a United States publication, “Yes, Ukraine hates you; yes, we will persecute you,” adding: “Is this not hate speech to you?”