General Assembly

The Committee on Information today called on the United Nations Department of Public Information to bolster multilingualism, partnerships, efficiency and local outreach in order to heighten awareness of critical international issues.

Talks on a new 10-year programme for the world’s poorest nations are under way as Heads of State and Government, lawmakers, civil society organizations, the private sector and chiefs of international agencies gather in Istanbul, Turkey, early this month.

HELSINKI, 29 April — Assessing the mechanics of building a Palestinian State — one that could inspire confidence in its citizens, deliver basic services, and support a vibrant economy — experts attending the United Nations Seminar on Assistance to the Palestinian People today said that democratic and accountable institutions, backed by sound social and economic policies, were essential for long-term success.

HELSINKI, 29 April — With plans nearly complete for welcoming a sovereign, independent Palestinian State into the community of nations this September, the Chairman of the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People today urged the Quartet of Middle East peace mediators to “help make the sun set on the occupation permanently”, by rapidly finalizing the permanent status parameters so that direct Israeli-Palestinian negotiations could proceed without delay.

HELSINKI, 28 April — The United Nations Seminar on Assistance to the Palestinian People this afternoon focused its discussions on the progress towards obstacles that might undermine the Palestinian Authority’s two-year plan to build an independent State, with speakers warning that the Authority’s efforts were held back by the physical and political restrictions imposed by Israeli occupation.

Stressing the important role of the global network of United Nations information centres in carrying out regional strategic communications campaigns, the Organization’s top communications official this afternoon called for the requisite resources to strengthen those centres and the Department of Public Information as a whole.

HELSINKI, 28 April — With the Palestinian Authority making steady progress towards completing its State-building programme by August, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today called for “serious and effective” international assistance to the Palestinian people, a speedy re-launch of Israeli-Palestinian peace talks, and an end to internal Palestinian divisions, all of which would be vital in the months ahead.

To best support United Nations initiatives in peace, development and human rights at a time of financial austerity, information services were developing a “new agility” through broad collaborations and the use of a variety of media, the Organization’s top communications official told the Committee on Information as it opened its annual session this morning.

The thirty-third annual session of the Committee on Information, the intergovernmental body charged with reviewing progress in the field of United Nations public information, will be held at Headquarters from 27 April to 6 May. During the two-week session, delegations are expected to undertake a wide-ranging review of the Department of Public Information and its three subprogrammes — the News and Media, Outreach and Strategic Communications Divisions.

The Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People will convene the United Nations Seminar on Assistance to the Palestinian People at the Scandic Marina Congress Center in Helsinki on 28 and 29 April 2011.