A/74/21

United Nations

Report of the Committee

on Information
Forty-first session
(29 April–10 May 2019)

General Assembly
Official Records
Seventy-fourth Session
Supplement No. 21
A/74/21
General Assembly A/74/21
Official Records
Seventy-fourth Session
Supplement No. 21

Report of the Committee on Information

Forty-first session
(29 April–10 May 2019)

United Nations • New York, 2019

Note

Symbols of United Nations documents are composed of letters combined with

figures. Mention of such a symbol indicates a reference to a United Nations document.
 [17 May 2019]

Contents
Chapter Page

I. Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
II. Organizational questions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
A. Opening of the session . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
B. Elections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
C. Adoption of the agenda and programme of work . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
D. Observers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
III. General debate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
IV. Consideration and adoption of the report of the Committee to the General Assembly at its
seventy-fourth session . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

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Chapter I
Introduction
1. In its resolution 34/182, the General Assembly decided to maintain the
Committee to Review United Nations Public Information Policies and Activities,
established by its resolution 33/115 C, which would be known as the Committee on
Information, and to increase its membership from 41 to 66. In section I, paragraph 2,
of resolution 34/182, the Assembly requested the Committee:
(a) To continue to examine United Nations public information policies and
activities, in the light of the evolution of international relations, particularly during
the past two decades, and of the imperatives of the establishment of the new
international economic order and of a new world information and communication
order;
(b) To evaluate and follow up the efforts made and the progress achieved by
the United Nations system in the field of information and communications;
(c) To promote the establishment of a new, more just and more effective world
information and communication order intended to strengthen peace and international
understanding and based on the free circulation and wider and more balanced
dissemination of information and to make recommend ations thereon to the General
Assembly.
The Assembly also requested the Committee and the Secretary-General to report to it
at its thirty-fifth session.
2. The General Assembly, from its thirty-sixth to seventy-third sessions, took note
of the reports of the Committee and adopted resolutions by consensus. At its seventy -
third session, the Assembly took note of the report of the Committee and adopted by
consensus resolutions 73/102 A and B.
3. Currently, the Committee is composed of the following Member States:
Algeria Burkina Faso
Angola Burundi
Antigua and Barbuda Cabo Verde
Argentina Chile
Armenia China
Austria Colombia
Azerbaijan Congo
Bangladesh Costa Rica
Belarus Côte d’Ivoire
Belgium Croatia
Belize Cuba
Benin Cyprus
Brazil Czechia
Bulgaria Democratic People’s Republic of Korea

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Democratic Republic of the Congo Malta

Denmark Mexico
Dominican Republic Monaco
Ecuador Mongolia
Egypt Morocco
El Salvador Mozambique
Ethiopia Nepal
Finland Netherlands
France Niger
Gabon Nigeria
Georgia Oman
Germany Pakistan
Ghana Paraguay
Greece Peru
Guatemala Philippines
Guinea Poland
Guyana Portugal
Hungary Qatar
Iceland Republic of Korea
India Republic of Moldova
Indonesia Romania
Iran (Islamic Republic of) Russian Federation
Iraq Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
Ireland Saudi Arabia
Israel Senegal
Italy Sierra Leone
Jamaica Singapore
Japan Slovakia
Jordan Solomon Islands
Kazakhstan Somalia
Kenya South Africa
Lebanon Spain
Liberia Sri Lanka
Libya Sudan
Luxembourg Suriname
Madagascar Switzerland

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Syrian Arab Republic United Republic of Tanzania

Thailand United States of America
Togo Uruguay
Trinidad and Tobago Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of)
Tunisia Viet Nam
Turkey Yemen
Ukraine Zambia
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Zimbabwe
Northern Ireland

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Chapter II
Organizational questions
A. Opening of the session

4. The organizational meeting of the forty-first session of the Committee was held
on 29 April 2019 at Headquarters. The session was opened by the Chair of the
Committee, Jan Kickert (Austria).

B. Elections

5. The Committee held elections for a new Bureau for a two-year term. Upon his
nomination by the representative of African States, Omar Hilale (Morocco) was
elected Chair, by acclamation. Upon their nomination by the representatives of
Eastern European States and Asia-Pacific States, Oleg Nikolenko (Ukraine) and Amal
Mudallali (Lebanon) were elected Vice-Chairs, by acclamation. Mr. Nikolenko was
also elected Rapporteur, by acclamation. The Committee deferred the election of two
other Vice-Chairs pending consultations within, and nominations by, Latin American
and Caribbean States and the Western European and Other States. The officers for the
Committee for the period 2019–2021 are as follows:
Chair:
Omar Hilale (Morocco)
Vice-Chairs:
Amal Mudallali (Lebanon)
Oleg Nikolenko (Ukraine)
Rapporteur:
Oleg Nikolenko (Ukraine)

C. Adoption of the agenda and programme of work

6. At its organizational meeting, on 29 April 2019, the Committee adopted the

following agenda and programme of work (A/AC.198/2019/1):
1. Opening of the session.
2. Election of officers.
3. Adoption of the agenda and programme of work.
4. Admission of new members.
5. Statement by the Chair.
6. Statement by the Under-Secretary-General for Global Communications.
7. General debate.
8. Consideration of reports submitted by the Secretary-General.
9. Open-ended working group of the Committee on Information.
10. Consideration and adoption of the report of the Committee to the General
Assembly at its seventy-fourth session.
7. The Committee held its general debate on 29 and 30 April 2019. On 30 April, in
the afternoon, the Department of Global Communications, led by the Under-

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Secretary-General for Global Communications, Alison Smale, held an informal

interactive dialogue with representatives of Member States.
8. For its consideration of agenda item 8, the Committee had before it the
following documents:
(a) Report of the Secretary-General on the activities of the Department of
Global Communications: strategic communications services (A/AC.198/2019/2);
(b) Report of the Secretary-General on the activities of the Department of
Global Communications: news services (A/AC.198/2019/3);
(c) Report of the Secretary-General on the activities of the Department of
Global Communications: outreach and knowledge services ( A/AC.198/2019/4).

D. Observers

9. The Plurinational State of Bolivia, the European Union, Honduras, the League
of Arab States, the State of Palestine and the International Organization of la
Francophonie participated in the session as observers.

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Chapter III
General debate
10. Statements in the general debate were made by the representatives of the State
of Palestine (on behalf of the Group of 77 and China), Japan, Bangladesh, Algeria,
the Philippines, Lebanon, China, Portugal, Nepal, Egypt, Argentina, Cuba, Jamaica,
India, Uruguay, Pakistan, Brazil, the Republic of Korea, Spain, the United States of
America, Israel, the Russian Federation, Trinidad and Tobago, the Islamic Republic
of Iran and Saudi Arabia, as well as by the observers for the European Union, the
Plurinational State of Bolivia on behalf of the Group of Friends of Spanish, Cabo
Verde on behalf of the Community of Portuguese-speaking Countries, the League of
Arab States and the International Organization of la Francophonie.
11. The general debate was preceded by a statement by the Chair of the Committee,
Omar Hilale (Morocco). The Chair said that today, more than ever, it was imperative
that the Organization disseminated reliable, credible and objective information. The
Chair welcomed the reform efforts undertaken by the Department of Global
Communications and noted that the close cooperation with the resident coordinators
would provide a new dimension to the work of the United Nations information centres
and the Department. The Chair also made note of the Department ’s efforts at youth
outreach, to engage young people as important stakeholders and galvanize them to
action on the many issues that affect their lives. The Under-Secretary-General for
Global Communications also made a statement and responded to questions an d
comments from Member States.
12. In addressing the substantive issues before the Committee, multiple speakers
expressed support for the reforms the Department had undertaken, including the new
name, the Department of Global Communications. Representatives noted that the
United Nations was being asked to respond to global challenges, and the Department
of Global Communications must bear the responsibility of communicating that story
to the world; the name change reflected the scope and importance of that work. Many
delegations remarked that the reforms, which stressed leadership and vision, strategic
thinking and planning, and agility and operational efficiencies, would put the
Department in a stronger position to better tell the United Nations story and e ngage
with audiences. One representative, speaking on behalf of a large group, also stressed
the importance of strengthening organizational branding to create a more harmonious
and coherent visual identity across the system and better utilize the “United Nations
blue” brand. The speaker also called on Member States, in their national capacities,
to help to amplify the work of the Department of Global Communications through
their own communications channels. Several speakers urged the Department to
continue its close collaboration with Member States and to maintain regular briefings
and exchanges as it continued its reform work. One representative also asked the
Department to measure the impact of its work, when possible, to assess the
effectiveness of its activities.
13. A majority of representatives stressed the importance of multilingualism and
language parity, not only to meet the mandates of the Department but also to advance
the values of the Organization, including inclusiveness, transparency and
accountability. Several speakers noted that it was important to disseminate
information about the Organization’s work and the challenges facing humanity in as
many languages as possible, to reach as many people as possible and engage them in
the work of the Organization. In addition to promoting inclusion and transparency,
speakers noted that multilingualism helped to promote, preserve and protect linguistic
and cultural diversity. Several delegations noted the recent observance of the
International Day of Multilateralism and Diplomacy for Peace and, in that context,

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highlighted the role played by multilingualism in promoting an international,

multilateral system based on international cooperation, partnership and inclusion.
14. Recognition and praise for the United Nations information centres was a
consistent theme in many interventions. Speakers noted that the centres were an
integral part of the Department, intended to reach people around the world in as many
languages as possible, advance inclusion and empower people on the local level to
address global issues. The centres helped to reach people in nearly 100 languages,
including Braille, and representatives called on the Department to continue efforts to
strengthen their technical capacity. A number of delegations expressed optimism that
the United Nations development system reform and closer cooperation between the
centres and resident coordinators would strengthen coherent and strategic
communications at the local level.
15. Several speakers expressed appreciation for the work of the Department in
highlighting the important role of journalists and press freedom, including the
observance of World Press Freedom Day and the International Day to End Impunity
for Crimes against Journalists. Speakers noted that attacks on the media were attacks
on the cornerstones of societies and targeted human rights and the fundamental
freedoms that were at the heart of the Organization: solidarity, freedom, including
freedom of expression, opinion and belief, pluralism, democra cy, tolerance and
human dignity. Freedom of the press safeguarded democracies and promoted
tolerance, dialogue, peace and coexistence.
16. Several interventions touched on the growing issue of the misuse of
communications technologies to spread misinformation, disinformation and fake
news, and the need for the United Nations to serve as a source of factual, unbiased,
dependable information for the world. One speaker noted that anyone with a mobile
telephone and internet connection could make a positive imp act by sharing factual
information and empowering people or wreak havoc by spreading misinformation. In
that media landscape, the role of the Department of Global Communications was
critical, not only to counterbalance the misinformation and show how the U nited
Nations responded to challenges faced by the international community, but also to act
as a direct link between the Organization and people around the world. It was also
noted that to tackle the challenges emanating from misinformation and fake news a
global and systematic approach was required.
17. Many representatives noted with appreciation the continued work that the
Department has done to widely disseminate information on, and raise awareness
about, the Sustainable Development Goals and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable
Development in dozens of languages and using multimedia content.
18. Numerous representatives noted with appreciation the multilingual and
multimedia strategic communications campaigns undertaken by the Department,
including the Service and Sacrifice Campaign and the climate change campaign,
“A Race We Can Win, A Race We Must Win”, and the commemoration of the
seventieth anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Speakers noted
that those campaigns, and others, helped to highlight in tangible ways for a global
audience the work of the Organization, the commitment of Member States and the
sacrifices made by peacekeepers in service to humanity. They also helped to
underscore the urgency of major global agenda items such a s climate change and
humanitarian issues. Many speakers commended the Department on its special
information programme on the question of Palestine, while some delegations
expressed the view that it offered a biased and misleading narrative of the situation
in the region. Several speakers noted with appreciation the Department ’s training
programme for Palestinian journalists. A number of speakers highlighted the
Department’s Remember Slavery Programme, its Holocaust and the United Nations

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Outreach Programme, and activities for the International Day of Reflection on the
Genocide in Rwanda as important initiatives that helped to teach tolerance,
understanding and compassion. Several representatives thanked the Department for
its continued support of other United Nations offices in strengthening their outreach
and communications capacity, including the Office of Counter-Terrorism, the
Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate and the Department of Peace
Operations.
19. While delegations voiced strong support for the Department’s strengthening of
its new and social media capacity, many representatives urged the Department to
continue to devote resources to traditional media such as print, television and radio.
Legacy media remained the predominant means of communication in many countries
and were also relevant for communicating with people of different generations. In
addition, the digital divide between countries persisted, and technical capacity
limitations and high costs remained barriers to accessing ne w media platforms for
many people; thus, speakers urged the Department to continue to be inclusive in its
approach and to use a mix of new and traditional media in disseminating the principles
and activities of the United Nations to the global public.
20. Several representatives commended the Department on its activities around
youth engagement and youth empowerment, pointing to the growing number of
members in United Nations Academic Impact, particularly in the Asia -Pacific region,
as well as that initiative’s launch of university Sustainable Development Goal hubs
to advance awareness of the Sustainable Development Goals in academia and increase
student involvement at the local level to achieve the Goals in their communities.
Speakers also voiced support for the work of the Office of the Special Envoy on
Youth, which launched Youth 2030: The United Nations Youth Strategy to empower
young people as agents of change and to amplify their voices in global issues.
Representatives expressed appreciation for the Department’s organization of the first
Model United Nations Youth Summit, in which more than 400 students from
30 countries participated.
21. Remarking on the ongoing financial constraints faced by the Organization as a
whole, many representatives noted the serious limitations that placed on the
Department’s ability to accomplish its mandated tasks, especially in the area of
non-official languages. Speakers encouraged the Department to seek out innovative
methods of resource mobilization to meet the growing communications demands
faced by the Department and recommended that the Department scale up its
partnerships with academia, private sector stakeholders and foundations as possible
sources of funding to bridge budget shortfalls and continue to deliver on its mandates.
Representatives pointed to partnerships such as those with Sanrio on the Hello Kitty
campaign to raise awareness of the Sustainable Development Goals, airlines that aired
United Nations News programmes as part of their in-flight offerings, and universities
that provided translations and undertook research to help to advance the 2030 Agenda
as examples of stakeholder engagement that could yield financial and in -kind support
for the work of the Department.
22. Speakers recognized the Department’s ongoing efforts to foster innovation in
the Department, including with digital outreach using social media zones at high -level
events, the use of artificial intelligence for its ActNow chat bot to spur action on the
Sustainable Development Goals, innovative partnerships such as the global Media
Compact and the use of technology for technical capacity-building in information
centres and offices away from Headquarters.
23. Responding to comments and queries made by Member States, the Under-
Secretary-General reiterated the Department’s commitment to multilingualism, but
noted that the Secretary-General’s request in the 2018–2019 budget for 18 additional

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posts and associated non-post resources to enable the Department to expand output in
meetings coverage press releases, United Nations webcasts, social media, and
television documentary production in all six official languages was not approved by
the General Assembly. That reduction in resources significantly constrained the
Department’s capacity to enhance its multilingual products. Nonetheless, the
Department continued to identify creative ways to promote and expand multilingual
products and services, including consolidating United Nations News outputs to one
website per language; managing apps that enabled mo bile access to United Nations
news and social media content in eight languages; establishing media accreditation
websites and associated application systems in multiple languages; and exploring new
partnership models to extend the multilingual range of tel evision products. The
Under-Secretary-General thanked delegations for their support of the Department ’s
reform efforts, which were designed to create a more modern, agile, nimble global
communications service that took advantage of new technologies and new ways of
connecting with people. She acknowledged the gains the Department had made in
social and new media by growing audiences and connecting with young people, but
stressed that the Department’s continued evolution in how it engaged the global
public was not at the expense of traditional media forms such as print, radio and
television, but rather an approach that looked for complementary ways of reaching
audiences. The Under-Secretary-General thanked Member States for their continued
support and guidance during the period of rapid change and reform and asked for their
assistance in resource mobilization, whether through funding, providing junior
professional officers, offering in-kind support or introducing the Department to
potential partners in their countries; the Department was counting on Member States
to help it accelerate its modernization. In summary, at a time when multilateralism,
the very foundation of the United Nations, was being questioned, the Organization
wanted and needed to be understood. For the United Nations communications to
succeed, they must be clear and they must engage audiences in ways they understood,
on platforms they used and in languages they comprehended. The Department would
relentlessly pursue those goals and was relying on Member States for their support.

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Chapter IV
Consideration and adoption of the report of the Committee
to the General Assembly at its seventy-fourth session
24. At its 5th plenary meeting, the Committee on Information proceeded to adopt
its draft report, including two draft resolutions, by consensus. A text submitted by the
Group of 77 and China formed the basis for negotiation of the draft resolutions, which
involved two negotiating groups, the Group of 77 and China and the European Union,
as well as other Member States.
25. After the adoption of the draft resolutions, the representative of the United
States made a statement in explanation of position.
26. In an explanation of position, the United States disassociated itself from the
consensus on paragraph 8 of draft resolution B, stating that the Global Compact for
Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration and the New York Declaration for Refugees
contained goals and objectives that were inconsistent and incompatible with United
States law and policy. The United States also disassociated itself from the consensus
on paragraph 46 of draft resolution B because it believed that United Nations
campaigns should be inclusive and focus on the rights of all and because, as written,
paragraph 46 placed emphasis on select categories based on gender, age, disability or
working status. The United States also disassociated itself from the consensus on
paragraph 65 because of long-standing concerns related to the premise of the “right
to development”, which was not recognized in any of the core United Nations human
rights conventions and did not have an agreed international meaning.

Questions relating to information

Draft resolution A
Information in the service of humanity

The General Assembly,

Taking note of the comprehensive and important report of the Committee on
Information, 1
Taking note also of the report of the Secretary-General, 2
Urges all countries, organizations of the United Nations system as a whole and
all others concerned, reaffirming their commitment to the principles of the Charter of
the United Nations and to the principles of freedom of the press and freedom of
information, as well as to those of the independence, pluralism and diversity of the
media, deeply concerned by the disparities existing between developed and
developing countries and the consequences of every kind arising from those
disparities that affect the capability of the public, private or other media and
individuals in developing countries to disseminate information and communicate
their views and their cultural and ethical values through endogenous cultural
production, as well as to ensure the diversity of sources and their free access to
information, and recognizing the call in this context for what in the United Nations
and at various international forums has been termed “a new world information and
communication order, seen as an evolving and continuous proces s”:

__________________
1
Official Records of the General Assembly, Seventy-third Session, Supplement No. 21 (A/73/21).
2
A/73/288.

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(a) To cooperate and interact with a view to reducing existing disparities in

information flows at all levels by increasing assistance for the development of
communications infrastructures and capabilities in developing countries, with due
regard for their needs and the priorities attached to such areas by those countries, and
in order to enable them and the public, private or other media in developing countries
to develop their own information and communications policies freely and
independently and increase the participation of media and individuals in the
communication process, and to ensure a free flow of information at all levels;
(b) To ensure for journalists the free and effective performance of their
professional tasks and condemn resolutely all attacks against them;
(c) To provide support for the continuation and strengthening of practical
training programmes for broadcasters and journalists from public, private and other
media in developing countries;
(d) To enhance regional efforts and cooperation among developing countries,
as well as cooperation between developed and developing countries, to strengthen
communications capacities and to improve the media infrastructure and
communications technology in developing countries, especially in the areas of
training and dissemination of information;
(e) To aim at, in addition to bilateral cooperation, providing all possible
support and assistance to developing countries and their media, public, private or
other, with due regard to their interests and needs in the field of information and to
action already adopted within the United Nations system, including:
(i) The development of the human and technical resources that are
indispensable for the improvement of information and communications systems
in developing countries and support for the continuation and strengthening of
practical training programmes, such as those already operating under both
public and private auspices throughout the developing world;
(ii) The creation of conditions that will enable developing countries and their
media, public, private or other, to have, by using their national and regional
resources, the communications technology suited to their national needs, as well
as the necessary programme material, especially for radio and television
broadcasting;
(iii) Assistance in establishing and promoting telecommunication links at the
subregional, regional and interregional levels, especially among developing
countries;
(iv) Facilitation, as appropriate, of access by developing countries to advanced
communications technology available on the open market;
(f) To provide full support for the International Programme for the
Development of Communication of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and
Cultural Organization, which should support both public and private media.

Draft resolution B
United Nations global communications policies and activities

The General Assembly,

Emphasizing that the Committee on Information is its main subsidiary body
mandated to make recommendations to it relating to the work of the Department of
Global Communications of the Secretariat,

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Reaffirming its resolution 13 (I) of 13 February 1946, by which the General

Assembly established the Department of Public Information (now the Department of
Global Communications), with a view to promoting to the greatest possible extent an
informed understanding of the work and purposes of the United Nations among the
peoples of the world, and all other relevant resolutions of the Assembly related to the
activities of the Department,
Emphasizing that the contents of public information and communications should
be placed at the heart of the strategic management of the United Nations and that a
culture of communications and transparency should permeate all levels of the
Organization as a means of fully informing the peoples of the world of the aims and
activities of the United Nations, in accordance with the purposes and principles
enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations, in order to create broad -based global
support for the United Nations,
Stressing that the primary mission of the Department of Global Communica tions
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 sup port for
the activities of the Organization with the greatest transparency,
Recalling its resolutions 73/102 A and B of 7 December 2018, which provided
an opportunity to take due steps to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of the
Department of Public Information and to maximize the use of its resources,
Expressing its concern that the gap in information and communications
technology between the developed and the developing countries has continu ed to
widen and that vast segments of the population in developing countries are not
benefiting from the information and communications technologies that are currently
available, and in this regard underlining the necessity of rectifying the imbalances in
the present development of and access to information and communications
technologies in order to create a more just, equitable, accessible and effective
environment in this regard,
Recognizing that developments in information and communications
technologies open vast new opportunities for economic growth and social
development and can play an important role in the eradication of poverty in
developing countries, and at the same time emphasizing that the development of these
technologies poses challenges and risks and could lead to further rising inequalities
within and among countries,
Recalling its resolution 71/328 of 11 September 2017 on multilingualism, and
emphasizing the importance of making appropriate use of all the official languages
of the United Nations in all the activities of the Department of Global
Communications, including in coordination with other departments of the Secretariat,
with the aim of eliminating the disparity between the use of English and the use of
the five other official languages, as well as the importance of ensuring the full and
equitable treatment of all the official languages of the United Nations in all the
activities of the Department,

I
Introduction
1. Requests the Secretary-General, in respect of the public information
policies and activities of the United Nations, to continue to implement fully the
recommendations contained in relevant resolutions;
2. Reaffirms that the United Nations remains the indispensable foundation of
a peaceful and just world and that its voice must be heard in a clear and effective

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manner, and emphasizes the essential role of the Department of Global

Communications of the Secretariat in this context;
3. Underlines that the reform of the Department of Global Communications
with a view to adapting its capacity and work to the current trends of global
communication should take into account the priorities set out by the Committee on
Information as the main subsidiary body mandated to make recommendations relating
to the work of the Department, and also underlines in that regard the importance of
continuing the process of consultation with Member States;
4. Stresses the importance of the provision of clear, timely, accurate and
comprehensive information by the Secretariat to Member States, upon their request,
within the framework of existing mandates and procedures;
5. Also stresses that Member States should abstain from using information
and communications technologies in contravention of international law, including the
Charter of the United Nations, and encourages Member States to consider better ways
to cooperate, consistent with international law, in addressing threats posed by the use
of information and communications technologies for terrorist purposes;
6. Reaffirms the central role of the Committee on Information in United
Nations public information policies and activities, including the prioritization of those
activities, and decides that recommendations relating to the program me of the
Department of Global Communications shall originate, to the extent possible, in the
Committee and shall be considered by the Committee;
7. Requests the Department of Global Communications, following the
priorities for the period 2018–2019 set out by the General Assembly in its resolutions
71/6 of 27 October 2016 and 73/269 of 22 December 2018, to pay particular attention
to the promotion of sustained economic growth and sustainable development in
accordance with the relevant resolutions of the Assembly and recent United Nations
conferences, the maintenance of international peace and security, the development of
Africa, the promotion of human rights, the effective coordination of humanitarian
assistance efforts, the promotion of justice and international law, disarmament, and
drug control, crime prevention and combating international terrorism in all its forms
and manifestations;
8. Requests the Department of Global Communications and its network of
United Nations information centres to pay particular attention to the outcomes of the
Third United Nations World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction, the third
International Conference on Financing for Development and the annual Economic
and Social Council forum on financing for development follow-up, the United
Nations summit for the adoption of the post-2015 development agenda and its
follow-up by the annual high-level political forum on sustainable development, the
twenty-fourth session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations
Framework Convention on Climate Change and the fourteenth session of the
Conference of the Parties serving as the Meeting of the Parties to the Kyoto Protocol,
the United Nations Conference on Housing and Sustainable Urban Development
(Habitat III), the United Nations Conference to Support the Implementation of
Sustainable Development Goal 14: Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and
marine resources for sustainable development and the second High-Level Conference
on South-South Cooperation, as well as the Declaration and Programme of Action on
a Culture of Peace, and the progress in implementing the outcomes;
9. Notes the contribution of the Department of Global Communications to
the preparatory process for the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular
Migration, in line with the New York Declaration for Refugees and Migrants;

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II
General activities of the Department of Global Communications
10. Takes note of the reports of the Secretary-General on the activities of the
Department of Global Communications; 3
11. Requests the Department of Global Communications to maintain its
commitment to a culture of evaluation and to continue to evaluate its prod ucts and
activities with the objective of enhancing their effectiveness, and to continue to
cooperate and coordinate with Member States and the Office of Internal Oversight
Services of the Secretariat;
12. Reaffirms the importance of more effective coordination between the
Department of Global Communications and the Office of the Spokesperson for the
Secretary-General, and requests the Secretary-General to ensure consistency in the
messages of the Organization;
13. Notes the efforts of the Department of Global Communications to continue
to publicize the work and decisions of the General Assembly and its subsidiary bodies,
and requests the Department to continue to enhance its working relationship with the
Office of the President of the General Assembly;
14. Encourages continued collaboration between the Department of Global
Communications and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural
Organization in the promotion of culture and in the fields of education, the
advancement of communication and multilingualism, in accordance with General
Assembly resolution 71/328, including through multilingual education, as vehicles
for sustainable development using existing resources and bridging the existing gap
between the developed and the developing countries;
15. Notes with appreciation the efforts of the Department of Global
Communications to work at the local level with other organizations and bodies of the
United Nations system to enhance the coordination of their communications
activities, urges the Department to encourage the United Nations Communications
Group to promote linguistic diversity in its work, and reiterates its request to the
Secretary-General to report to the Committee on Information at its forty-second
session on progress achieved in this regard;
16. Reaffirms that the Department of Global Communications must prioritize
its work programme, while respecting existing mandates and in line with
regulation 5.6 of the Regulations and Rules Governing Programme Planning, the
Programme Aspects of the Budget, the Monitoring of Implementation and the
Methods of Evaluation, 4 to focus its message and better concentrate its efforts and to
match its programmes with the needs of its target audiences, including the linguistic
dimension, on the basis of improved feedback and evaluation mechanisms;
17. Requests the Secretary-General to continue to exert all efforts to ensure
that publications and other information services of the Secretariat, including the
United Nations website, the United Nations News Service and United Nations social
media accounts, contain comprehensive, balanced, objective and equitable
information in all official languages about the issues before the Organization and that
they maintain editorial independence, impartiality, accuracy and full consistency with
resolutions and decisions of the General Assembly;

__________________
3
A/AC.198/2019/2, A/AC.198/2019/3 and A/AC.198/2019/4.
4
ST/SGB/2016/6.

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18. Underlines the critical need to address violations of the relevant

international rules and regulations that govern the area of broadcasting, including
television, radio and satellite broadcasting, in the most appropriate manner;
19. Reiterates its request to the Department of Global Communications and
content-providing offices of the Secretariat to ensure that United Nations publications
are produced in all six official languages, as well as in an environmentally friendly
and cost-neutral manner, and to continue to coordinate closely with all other entities,
including all other departments of the Secretariat and funds and programmes of the
United Nations system, within their respective mandates, in order to avoid duplication
in the issuance of United Nations publications;
20. Encourages, in this regard, the Department of Global Communications and
the Department for General Assembly and Conference Management of the Secretariat
to develop new collaborative arrangements to enhance multilinguali sm in other
outputs in a cost-neutral manner, bearing in mind the importance of ensuring the full
and equitable treatment of all the official languages of the United Nations, and to
report thereon to the Committee on Information at its forty-second session;
21. Emphasizes that the Department of Global Communications should
maintain and improve its activities in the areas of special interest to developing
countries and, where appropriate, other countries with special needs, and that the
activities of the Department should contribute to bridging the existing gap between
the developing and the developed countries in the crucial field of public information
and communications;
22. Reiterates its growing concern that the issuance of daily press releases has
not been expanded to all official languages, as requested in previous resolutions and
in full respect of the principle of parity of all six official languages, recalls the
relevant report of the Secretary-General on the activities of the Department of Global
Communications, 5 and reiterates its request that the Department, as a matter of
priority, design a strategy to deliver daily press releases in all six official languages
through creative schemes, in a cost-neutral manner and in accordance with the
relevant General Assembly resolutions, at the latest by the forty-second session of the
Committee on Information, and report thereon to the Committee at that session;
23. Notes recent trends that contribute to undermining credible, transparent
and fact-based information, and encourages the Department of Global
Communications to continue to promote unbiased and impartial information about the
work of the United Nations, to identify specific proposals in this regard and to report
thereon to the Committee on Information at its forty-second session;

Multilingualism and public information

24. Emphasizes that multilingualism, as a core value of the Organization,
entails the active involvement and commitment of all stakeholders, including all
United Nations duty stations and offices away from Headquarters;
25. Underlines the responsibility of the Secretariat in the mainstreaming of
multilingualism into all of its communication and information activities, within
existing resources on an equitable basis, calls upon the Department of Global
Communications to consider it as an integral part of its strategic approach and to
continue to work with the Coordinator for Multilingualism on best practices
throughout the Secretariat to fulfil this responsibility, and requests the Secretary-
General to report on such best practices and their implementation in his upcoming

__________________
5
A/AC.198/2018/3.

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report to the Committee on Information, bearing in mind the provisions of resolution

71/328;
26. Emphasizes the importance of making use of all the official languages of
the United Nations, ensuring their full and equitable treatment in all the activities of
all divisions and offices of the Department of Global Communications with the aim
of eliminating the disparity between the use of English and the use of the five other
official languages, in this regard reaffirms its request that the Secretary -General
ensure that the Department has the necessary capacity in all the official languages to
undertake all of its activities, and requests that this aspect be included in future
programme budget proposals for the Department, bearing in mind the principle of
parity of all six official languages, while respecting the workload in each official
language;
27. Welcomes the ongoing efforts of the Department of Global
Communications to enhance multilingualism in all of its activities, stresses the
importance of ensuring that the texts of all new public United Nations documents in
all six official languages, information materials, global promotional campaigns and
all older United Nations documents are made available through the United Nations
websites and are accessible to Member States without delay, and further stresses the
importance of fully implementing its resolution 71/328;
28. Encourages the Department of Global Communications to continue its
ongoing efforts to incorporate the working method of having thematic focal points,
currently applied by the language units of the United Nations websites, as a best
practice of multilingualism to improve the quality of the content of the websites;
29. Acknowledges and supports the continued use by the Department of Global
Communications of Portuguese, Kiswahili, Urdu, Bangla, Hi ndi and Persian in
addition to the official languages, when appropriate, according to the target audience,
with a view to reaching the widest possible spectrum of audiences and extending the
United Nations message to all corners of the world in order to strengthen international
support for the activities of the Organization;
30. Encourages the Department of Global Communications to continue its
longstanding and ongoing efforts to promote multilingualism through global outreach
in languages other than official languages, and to mobilize adequate resources,
including by exploring innovative financing options as well as voluntary
contributions;

Bridging the digital divide

31. Requests the Department of Global Communications to contribute to
raising the awareness of the international community of the importance of the
implementation of the outcome document of the high-level meeting of the General
Assembly on the overall review of the implementation of the outcomes of the World
Summit on the Information Society 6 and of the possibilities that the use of the Internet
and other information and communications technologies, emerging particularly from
the fourth industrial revolution, can bring to societies and economies, as well as of
ways to bridge the digital divide, within and among countries, including by
commemorating World Telecommunication and Information Society Day on 17 May;
32. Reiterates its call upon all stakeholders, particularly the relevant United
Nations entities, within their mandates and existing resources, to continue to work
together to regularly analyse the nature of digital divides, study strategies to bridge

__________________
6
Resolution 70/125; see also A/C.2/59/3 and A/60/687.

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them and make their findings available to the international co mmunity, as well as to
promote public and private initiatives that aim to bridge the digital divide;

Network of United Nations information centres

33. Emphasizes the importance of the network of United Nations information
centres in enhancing the public image of the United Nations, in disseminating
messages on the United Nations to local populations, especially in developing
countries, bearing in mind that information in local languages has the strongest impact
on local populations, and in mobilizing support for the work of the United Nations at
the local level;
34. Welcomes the work done by the network of United Nations information
centres, including the United Nations Regional Information Centre, in favour of the
publication of United Nations information materials and the translation of important
documents into languages other than the official languages of the United Nations,
encourages information centres to continue their important multilingual activities in
the interactive and proactive aspects of their work and to develop web pages and
content in social media in local languages, encourages the Department of Global
Communications to provide the necessary resources and technical facilities, with a
view to reaching the widest possible spectrum of audiences and extending the United
Nations message to all corners of the world in order to strengthen international
support for the activities of the Organization, and encourages the continuation of
efforts in this regard;
35. Stresses the importance of rationalizing the network of United Nations
information centres, and in this regard requests the Secretary-General to continue to
make proposals in this direction, including through the redeployment of resources
where necessary, and to report to the Committee on Information at its successive
sessions;
36. Reaffirms that the rationalization of United Nations information centres
must be carried out on a case-by-case basis in consultation with all concerned Member
States in which existing information centres are located, the countries served by those
information centres and other interested countries in the region, taking into
consideration the distinctive characteristics of each region;
37. Recognizes that the network of United Nations information centres,
especially in developing countries, should continue to enhance its impact and
activities, including through strategic communications support, and calls upon the
Secretary-General to report on the implementation of this approach to the Committee
on Information at its successive sessions;
38. Requests the Department of Global Communications, through the United
Nations information centres, to strengthen its cooperation with all other United
Nations entities at the country level and in the context of the United Nations
Development Assistance Framework, in order to enhance coherence in
communications and to avoid duplication of work, and in that regard notes the
ongoing United Nations reform, which, inter alia, calls for the integration of the
information centres into the resident coordinator system, to ensure coordinated,
coherent, and strategic communications on local and global issues across the United
Nations system and through the information centres, including the United Nations
Regional Information Centre, taking into account the needs and inputs emerging at
the country level, and requests the Secretary-General to include comprehensive
information on this process in his next report;

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39. Stresses the importance of taking into account the special needs and
requirements of developing countries in the field of information and communications
technology for the effective flow of information in those countries;
40. Also stresses the importance of efforts to strengthen the outreach activities
of the United Nations to those Member States remaining outside the network of
United Nations information centres, and encourages the Secretary-General, within the
context of rationalization, to extend the services of the network of information centres
to those Member States;
41. Further stresses that the Department of Global Communications should
continue to review the allocation of both staff and financial resources to the United
Nations information centres in developing countries, taking into account the specific
needs of the least developed countries in this regard, and requests the Secretary -
General to include in the next report comprehensive information on the functioning
of the United Nations information centres, including the outcome of the review of the
effective and efficient allocation of staff and financial resources to United Nations
information centres and the possible measures to improve the operation of the centres
in developing countries;
42. Welcomes the support of some Member States, including developing
countries, in offering, inter alia, rent-free premises for the United Nations information
centres because of lack of funding, bearing in mind that such support should not be a
substitute for the full allocation of financial resources for the information centres in
the context of the programme budget of the United Nations;
43. Notes the concern of many Member States regarding the measures taken
by the Secretariat in relation to the information centres in Mexico City, Pretoria and
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, expresses the hope that these measures will not have an adverse
impact on the ability of the centres to act as bridges between the United Nations and
local audiences, and therefore requests the Secretary-General to report on the impact
of these measures and to explore ways to strengthen the United Nations information
centres in Cairo, Mexico City, Pretoria and Rio de Janeiro, keeping in mind the need
to do so within existing resources, and encourages the Secretary-General to explore
the strengthening of other centres, especially in Africa, in cooperation with the
Member States concerned and in a cost-neutral manner;
44. Recalls its resolution 64/243 of 24 December 2009, in which the General
Assembly requested the Secretary-General to establish a United Nations information
centre in Luanda as a contribution towards addressing the needs of Portuguese -
speaking African countries, and requests the Secretary-General, in coordination with
the Government of Angola, to accelerate the establishment of the information centre
and report on the operationalization of the centre to the Committee on Information at
its forty-second session;

III
Strategic communications services
45. Reaffirms the role of the strategic communications services in devising and
disseminating United Nations messages by developing communications strategies,
with the overall emphasis on multilingualism from the planning stage, in close
collaboration with the substantive departments, United Nations funds and programmes
and the specialized agencies, in full compliance with their legislative mandates;

Promotional campaigns
46. Notes with appreciation the work of the Department of Global
Communications in promoting, through its campaigns, issues of importance to the

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international community, and requests the Department, in cooperation with the

countries concerned and with the relevant organizations and bodies of the United
Nations system, to continue to take appropriate measures to enhance world public
awareness about, inter alia, reinforcing multilateralism, unprecedented humanitarian
crises and needs in the world, the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, 7 United
Nations reform, the eradication of poverty, sustainable urban development,
conservation and sustainable use of the oceans, seas and marine resources for
sustainable development, climate change, sustainable management of forests,
combating desertification, conservation of biodiversity and other environmental
issues, conflict prevention, peacekeeping, peacebuilding and sustaining peace,
refugees and migrants, people forcibly displaced by conflict and other means that
violate human rights and international law, culture and development, disarmament,
decolonization, human rights, including gender equality, the rights of childre n,
persons with disabilities and migrant workers, strategic coordination in humanitarian
relief, especially in natural disasters and other crises, communicable and
non-communicable diseases, the needs of the African continent, the strategic
partnership between the African Union and the United Nations, the nature of the
critical economic and social situation in Africa and the priorities of the New
Partnership for Africa’s Development, 8 the special needs of the least developed
countries, landlocked developing countries, small island developing States and the
countries that have met the criteria for graduation from the least developed country
category, the importance of international cooperation to combat illicit financial flows
and the activities that underlie them, such as corruption, embezzlement, fraud, tax
evasion, safe havens that create incentives for the transfer abroad of stolen assets,
money-laundering and illegal exploitation of natural resources, the identification,
freezing and recovery of stolen assets and their return to their countries of origin in a
manner consistent with the United Nations Convention against Corruption, 9
combating human trafficking and modern slavery, combating transnational illicit
trafficking, including in cultural heritage, the permanent memorial to and
remembrance of the victims of slavery and the transatlantic slave trade , combating
terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, the initiative on a world against violence
and violent extremism, dialogue among civilizations, the culture of peace and
tolerance and the consequences of the Chernobyl disaster, as well as prevention of
genocide;
47. Requests the Secretariat, especially the Department of Global
Communications, to contribute to the observance of international days established by
the General Assembly, including the International Day of Commemoration in
Memory of the Victims of the Holocaust, on 27 January, International Mother
Language Day, on 21 February, as proclaimed by the General Conference of the
United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, the International
Day of Happiness, on 20 March, the International Day of Nowruz, on 21 March, the
International Day of Forests, on 21 March, World Water Day, on 22 March, the
International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic
Slave Trade, on 25 March, the International Day of Multilateralism and Diplomacy
for Peace, on 24 April, World Press Freedom Day, on 3 May, the Time of
Remembrance and Reconciliation for Those Who Lost Their Lives During the Second
World War, on 8 and 9 May, the International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers,
on 29 May, World Oceans Day, on 8 June, the International Day of Family
Remittances, on 16 June, the International Day for the Elimination of Sex ual Violence
in Conflict, on 19 June, Nelson Mandela International Day, on 18 July, International

__________________
7
Resolution 70/1.
8
A/57/304, annex.
9
United Nations, Treaty Series, vol. 2349, No. 42146.

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Youth Day, on 12 August, the International Day of Peace, on 21 September, the

International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons, on 26 September,
the International Day of Non-Violence, on 2 October, the International Day for
Tolerance, on 16 November, the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian
People, on 29 November, the International Day of Commemoration and Dignity of
the Victims of the Crime of Genocide and of the Prevention of this Crime, on
9 December, Human Rights Day, on 10 December, International Mountain Day, on
11 December, and International Universal Health Coverage Day, on 12 December,
and to play a role in raising awareness and promoting these events, in a cost-neutral
manner, where appropriate, in accordance with the respective Assembly resolutions;
48. Requests the Department of Global Communications and its network of
United Nations information centres to raise broad awareness and to engage in a
comprehensive and multilingual promotional campaign and coverage, on an equal
basis, of all summits, international conferences and high-level meetings mandated by
the General Assembly, including those to be held in 2019;
49. Notes that 2020 marks the seventy-fifth anniversary of the founding of the
United Nations and the end of the Second World War, recognizes the work already
undertaken by the Secretariat on planning activities in that regard, and requests the
Department of Global Communications to raise awareness of and disseminate
information on the anniversary, including at Expo 2020, and to ensure that
multilingualism is mainstreamed into those activities, in a cost -neutral manner;
50. Recognizes the communication efforts led by the Department of Global
Communications in promoting the review conferences of the parties to the Treaty on
the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons and their preparatory processes, in
particular the production of various multimedia materials, incl uding videos, images
and graphics, to promote the conferences and the issues before them in the six official
languages of the Organization, and in this regard encourages the Department to
continue this practice in promoting high-level meetings, including through the use of
traditional and new media such as social media, as appropriate;
51. Requests the Department of Global Communications and its network of
United Nations information centres to continue raising awareness of and to
disseminate information, in a cost-neutral manner, on the Third International Decade
for the Eradication of Colonialism, declared by the General Assembly in its resolution
65/119 of 10 December 2010;
52. Recalls its resolutions 68/237 of 23 December 2013 and 69/16 of
18 November 2014 on the International Decade for People of African Descent, and
requests the Department of Global Communications and its network of United
Nations information centres to continue raising awareness of and to disseminate
information on the International Decade, in accordance with the programme of
activities for the implementation of the International Deca de adopted by the General
Assembly, 10 in a cost-neutral manner;
53. Also recalls its resolution 72/239 of 20 December 2017 on the United
Nations Decade of Family Farming (2019–2028), and requests the Department of
Global Communications and its network of United Nations information centres to
raise awareness of and to disseminate information on the International Decade;
54. Welcomes the political declaration adopted at the Nelson Mandela Peace
Summit, held on 24 September 2018 11 to commemorate the centenary of the birth of
Nelson Mandela, in which the period from 2019 to 2028 was recognized as the Nelson
__________________
10
Resolution 69/16, annex.
11
Resolution 73/1.

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Mandela Decade of Peace, and in this regard requests the Department of Global
Communications to raise awareness of, and disseminate information on, the Decade;
55. Recalls its resolution 71/178 of 19 December 2016 on the proclamation of
2019 as the International Year of Indigenous Languages to draw attention to the
critical loss of indigenous languages, and requests the Department of Global
Communications and its network of United Nations information centre s to raise
awareness of and disseminate information on the International Year in accordance
with its action plan; 12
56. Underlines the importance of the Department of Global Communications
integrating multilingualism in the planning and implementation of promotional
campaigns, including the design of logotypes and isologotypes in different languages,
where appropriate, as well as the use of hashtags for social media campaigns in more
than one language, taking into account the needs of the target audiences;
57. Encourages the Department of Global Communications to develop
partnerships with the private sector and relevant organization s that promote the
official languages of the United Nations and other languages, as appropriate, in order
to promote the activities of the United Nations in a cost -neutral manner, and to report
thereon to the Committee on Information at its forty-second session, and in this regard
welcomes the partnership with airlines that provide to their customers in -flight
programmes featuring United Nations activities;

Role of the Department of Global Communications in United Nations

peacekeeping operations, special political missions and peacebuilding
58. Requests the Secretariat to continue to ensure the active involvement of
the Department of Global Communications from the planning stage and in all stages
of future peacekeeping operations and special political missions through
interdepartmental consultations and coordination with other departments and offices
of the Secretariat, in particular with the Department of Peace Operations, the
Department of Operational Support, the Department of Political and Peacebui lding
Affairs and the Peacebuilding Support Office;
59. Requests the Department of Global Communications, the Department of
Peace Operations, the Department of Operational Support, the Department of Political
and Peacebuilding Affairs and the Peacebuilding Support Office to continue their
cooperation in raising awareness of the new realities, successes and challenges faced
by peacekeeping operations, especially multidimensional and complex ones, in
peacebuilding efforts and by special political missions, and continues to call upon
them to develop and implement a comprehensive communications strategy on current
challenges facing United Nations peacekeeping, countries on the agenda of the
Peacebuilding Commission and special political missions;
60. Stresses the importance of enhancing the public information capacity of
the Department of Global Communications in the field of peacekeeping operations
and special political missions as well as its role, in close cooperation with the
Department of Peace Operations, the Department of Operational Support and the
Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs, in the process of selecting public
information staff for United Nations peacekeeping operations or missions, and in this
regard invites the Department of Global Communications to second public
information staff who have the skills necessary to fulfil the tasks of the operations
and special political missions, taking into account the principle of equitable
geographical distribution in accordance with Chapter X V, Article 101, paragraph 3,

__________________
12
E/C.19/2018/8.

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of the Charter, and to consider views expressed, especially by host countries, when
appropriate, in this regard;
61. Emphasizes the importance of the peacekeeping gateway on the United
Nations website, and requests the Department of Global Communications to continue
its efforts to support the peacekeeping missions in further developing and maintaining
their websites;
62. Welcomes promotional campaigns showcasing individual troop-
contributing countries, and requests the Secretariat to ensure that all troop- and
police-contributing countries are represented;
63. Requests the Department of Global Communications, in the context of its
promotion of the United Nations peacekeeping activities, to highlight the work and
mandate of the Special Committee on Peacekeeping Operations;
64. Recalls its resolutions 62/214 of 21 December 2007 on the United Nations
Comprehensive Strategy on Assistance and Support to Victims of Sexual Exploitation
and Abuse by United Nations Staff and Related Personnel, 70/268 of 14 June 2016 on
the comprehensive review of the whole question of peacekeeping operations in all
their aspects, 70/286 of 17 June 2016 on cross-cutting issues, 71/134 of 13 December
2016 on criminal accountability of United Nations officials and experts on mission
and 71/278 of 10 March 2017 on United Nations action on sexual expl oitation and
abuse, takes note of the report of the Secretary-General 13 and Security Council
resolutions 2242 (2015) of 13 October 2015 and 2272 (2016) of 11 March 2016,
requests the Department of Global Communications, the Department of Peace
Operations, the Department of Operational Support, the Department of Political and
Peacebuilding Affairs and the Peacebuilding Support Office to continue to cooperate
in implementing an effective outreach programme to explain the zero -tolerance policy
of the Organization regarding sexual exploitation and abuse in accordance with the
objectives set out in the aforementioned resolutions and to inform the pub lic of the
outcome of all such cases involving United Nations staff and related personnel,
including cases where allegations are ultimately found to be legally unproven,
requests the Departments and the Office to inform the public of steps taken to protect
the rights of the victims and ensure adequate support for the witnesses, in accordance
with the United Nations Comprehensive Strategy on Assistance and Support to
Victims of Sexual Exploitation and Abuse by United Nations Staff and Related
Personnel, and stresses the importance of the Department of Global Communications
in showcasing the compact proposed between the Secretariat and troop -contributing
countries in that regard, as well as all the activities related to the circle of leadership;
65. Notes the importance of communication activities and the dissemination
of information relating to sustaining peace and peacebuilding efforts, in particular,
meetings and activities of the Peacebuilding Commission, country-specific
configurations, the Peacebuilding Support Office and the Peacebuilding Fund, and
requests the Department of Global Communications to enhance its cooperation with
these entities in that regard, in particular through increased usage of social media,
with a view to widening outreach of their important work and encouraging national
ownership;

Role of the Department of Global Communications in strengthening dialogue

among civilizations and the culture of peace as means of enhancing
understanding among nations
66. Recalls its resolutions on dialogue among civilizations and the culture of
peace, and requests the Department of Global Communications, while ensuring the
__________________
13
A/72/751 and A/72/751/Corr.1.

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pertinence and relevance of subjects for promotional campaigns on this issue, to

continue to provide the support necessary for the dissemination of information
pertaining to dialogue among civilizations and the culture of peace, as well as the
initiative on the Alliance of Civilizations, and to take due steps in fostering the culture
of dialogue among civilizations, promoting the initiative on a world against violence
and violent extremism in accordance with General Assembly resolution 72/241 of
20 December 2017, and promoting cultural understanding, tolerance, r espect for and
freedom of religion or belief and effective enjoyment by all of all human rights and
civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights, including the right to
development, and requests a briefing by the Secretariat on the measures taken to
disseminate information pertaining to dialogue among civilizations and the culture of
peace, before the next session of the Committee on Information;
67. Invites the United Nations system, especially the Department of Global
Communications, to continue to encourage and facilitate dialogue among civilizations
and to formulate ways and means to promote dialogue among civilizations in the
activities of the United Nations in various fields, taking into account the Programme
of Action of the Global Agenda for Dialogue among Civilizations; 14
68. Recalls its resolution 69/312 of 6 July 2015, in which it acknowledged the
achievements of the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations and the efforts of the
High Representative of the Secretary-General for the Alliance of Civilizations, as well
as the declarations adopted by the Global Forums of the United Nations Alliance of
Civilizations, 15 and welcomes the continuing support of the Department of Global
Communications for the work of the Alliance, including its ongoing projects;
69. Welcomes and encourages the various initiatives at the local, national,
regional and international levels to enhance interreligious and intercultural dialogue,
understanding and cooperation and to strengthen people-to-people bonds;

IV
News services
70. Stresses that the central objective of the news services implemented by the
Department of Global Communications is the timely delivery of accurate, objective
and balanced news and information emanating from the United Nations system in
different supports and formats, including print, radio, television and the Internet,
including social media platforms, to the media and other audiences worldwide, with
the overall emphasis on multilingualism from the planning stage, and reiterates its
request to the Department to ensure that all breaking news stories and news alerts are
accurate, impartial and free of bias;
71. Recognizes the efforts of the Department of Global Communications to
mainstream and consolidate news and multimedia content through the coordinated
and centralized UN News online portal, which provides content in both traditional
and digital format in the six official languages, as well as in Hindi, Kiswahili and
Portuguese, and in this regard requests the Secretariat to continue to support th ose
efforts;
72. Also recognizes the important role of television and video services
provided by the Department of Global Communications, and notes the recent efforts
in making available online broadcast-quality video that can be streamed or
downloaded by smaller broadcast outlets that do not have access to satellite feeds;

__________________
14
Resolution 56/6, sect. B.
15
Madrid, Spain; Istanbul, Turkey; Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; Doha, Qatar; Vienna, Austria; Bali,
Indonesia; and Baku, Azerbaijan.

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Traditional means of communication

73. Welcomes the sustained efforts of United Nations Radio, which remains
one of the most effective and far-reaching traditional media available to the
Department of Global Communications and an important instrument in United
Nations activities, to enhance the timeliness, presentation and thematic focus of its
multilingual programmes on United Nations activities and to ensure the widest
possible dissemination of its programming to media outlets using the most suitable
platforms and formats, pre-recorded or live, requests the Secretary-General to
continue to make every effort to achieve parity in the six official languages in United
Nations Radio productions, reiterates the important role of the 15-minute daily
programmes created pursuant to General Assembly resolution 54/82 B of 6 December
1999, and requests the Department to continue producing and disseminating the
programmes, in accordance with client needs;
74. Also welcomes the ongoing efforts being made by the Department of
Global Communications to disseminate programme s directly to broadcasting stations
all over the world in the six official languages, with the addition of Portuguese,
Kiswahili, Urdu, Bangla and Hindi as well as other languages, and in this regard
requests the Secretary-General to include in his upcoming report to the Committee on
Information detailed information about such partnerships with broadcasting stations
as well as statistics about their multiplying impacts on potential audiences;
75. Requests the Department of Global Communications to continue to build
partnerships with local, national and regional broadcasters to extend the United
Nations message to all corners of the world in an accurate and impartial way, and
requests the News and Media Division of the Department to continue to take full
advantage of modern technologies and equipment;
76. Welcomes the completion of an inventory of 73 years of United Nations
audiovisual history and, recognizing the importance of the audiovisual archives of the
United Nations, stresses the urgency of digitization in order to prevent further
deterioration of these unique historical archives, encourages the Department of
Global Communications to prioritize the development of collaborative arrangements
for the digitization of these archives while preserving their multilingual character, in
a cost-neutral manner, and to report thereon to the Committee on Information at its
forty-second session, and recalls the contribution of Oman 5 in this regard;
77. Notes, in this regard, the proposed strategy for the digitization of the
United Nations audiovisual archive materials for long-term preservation, access and
sustainable management, 16 and requests the Department of Global Communications
to submit for consideration by the relevant bodies both a detailed proposal for the
mass digitization of the audiovisual collections, within existing resources, and plans
to solicit voluntary contributions to fund the digitization and storage of the
audiovisual archives;

United Nations website and social media

78. Reaffirms that the United Nations website is an essential tool for Member
States and for the general public, the media, non-governmental organizations and
educational institutions, and in this regard reiterates the continued need for
strengthened efforts by the Department of Global Communications to regularly
maintain, update and improve it;
79. Recognizes the potential of United Nations websites and social media
accounts to offer multilingual and multimedia digital content, integrating written,
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spoken and visual elements in all of the official languages, and encourages the
Department of Global Communications to work towards such an objective;
80. Also recognizes the efforts made by the Secretariat to implement the basic
accessibility requirements for persons with disabilities to gain access to and take part
in the work of the United Nations in person or online, including through the work of
the Accessibility Centre at United Nations Headquarters, calls upon the Department
of Global Communications to continue to work towards compliance with accessibility
requirements on all new and updated pages of the website, with the aim of ensuring
its accessibility for persons with different kinds of disabilities, and in this regard
encourages the Department of Global Communications and the Department for
General Assembly and Conference Management to further cooperate and identify
potential synergies;
81. Reaffirms the need to achieve full parity among the six official languages
on all United Nations websites, and urges the Secretary-General to strengthen his
efforts to develop, maintain and update multilingual United Nations websites,
including United Nations Web TV, its video content and metadata, and the web page
of the Secretary-General in all the official languages of the United Nations, from
within existing resources and on an equitable basis;
82. Notes with concern that the multilingual development and enrichment of
the United Nations website in certain official languages has improved at a much
slower rate than expected, and in this regard urges the Department of Global
Communications, in coordination with content-providing offices, to advance actions
taken to achieve full parity among the six official languages on the United Nations
website;
83. Recalls paragraph 35 of its resolution 71/328, notes with concern the
disparity between the English and the non-English languages on the websites
maintained by the Secretariat, urges the Secretary-General to lead the efforts of all
offices and departments of the Secretariat to take concrete action to address such
uneven development, and in this regard calls upon all stakeholders, including the
Department of Global Communications, content-providing offices and departments,
in particular the Office of Information and Communications Technology of the
Secretariat, to continue their collaboration, within their respective mandates, so as to
achieve full parity among the six official languages on all United Nations websites
developed and maintained by all Secretariat entities, in full conformity with the
principles of multilingualism and in compliance with the relevant resolutions
addressing multilingualism and accessibility for persons with disabilities, by making
every effort to translate materials currently available only in English and by providing
offices and departments with technological solutions that comply with the principle
of parity, from within existing resources;
84. Reaffirms its request to the Secretary-General to ensure, while maintaining
an up-to-date and accurate website and social media, the equitable distribution among
all official languages of financial and human resources within the Department of
Global Communications allocated to the United Nations website and social media,
with full respect for the needs and the specificities of all si x official languages;
85. Welcomes the cooperative arrangements undertaken by the Department of
Global Communications with academic institutions to increase the number of web
pages available in official and non-official languages, and requests the Secretary-
General, in coordination with content-providing offices, to extend such cooperative
arrangements, in a cost-effective manner, to all the official languages of the United
Nations, bearing in mind the necessity of adherence to United Nations standards an d
guidelines;

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86. Encourages the continuation of live webcasts of public meetings of the

General Assembly, the Economic and Social Council and their respective subsidiary
bodies, as well as of the Security Council, with interpretation services, and reque sts
the Secretariat to make every effort to provide full access to archived videos in all
official languages of all past open formal United Nations meetings with interpretation
services, in strict observance of the principle of full parity of the six offic ial languages
of the United Nations, to promote transparency and accountability within the
Organization;
87. Reaffirms the need to enhance the technological infrastructure of the
Department of Global Communications, including the United Nations informati on
centres, on a continuous basis in order to widen the outreach of the Department and
to continue to improve the United Nations website in a cost -neutral manner;
88. Encourages the Department of Global Communications, in collaboration
with the Office of Information and Communications Technology, to continue its
efforts to ensure that technological infrastructures and supportive applications in the
United Nations fully support Latin, non-Latin and bidirectional scripts in order to
enhance the equality of all official languages on the United Nations website;
89. Underlines the importance that, in the implementation of its multilingual
social media strategy, the Department of Global Communications ensures full parity
among the official languages of the Organization, and in that regard stresses the need
for United Nations social media campaigns to use hashtags suitable for each language;
90. Recalls that, in paragraph 34 of its resolution 71/328, the General
Assembly welcomed the realization of the comprehensive review of the United
Nations websites by the Secretary-General, presenting the status of content in
non-official languages, noted with appreciation the innovative ideas, potential
synergies and other cost-neutral measures proposed in the report of the Secretary-
General on multilingualism 17 to reinforce the broader multilingual development and
enrichment of the United Nations websites, as appropriate, and requested the
Secretary-General to present an updated version of the review in his next report;
91. Notes the uneven development of social media among the official
languages of the United Nations, and requests the Secretary-General to report to the
Committee on Information at its forty-second session on the strategy of the
Department of Global Communications to ensure, by a more balanced use of all six
official languages, that social media contribute to raising awareness of and support
for the activities of the Organization, and to include in the repo rt available analytics,
classified by official language, on audiences of social media accounts managed by
the Secretariat;

V
Library services
92. Welcomes the efforts of the Department of Global Communications to
implement the recommendations of the Dag Hammarskjöld Library 2025 Vision
working group on improvement of knowledge and electronic library services;
93. Commends the steps taken by the Dag Hammarskjöld Library and the other
Secretariat libraries, members of the Steering Committee for Libraries of the United
Nations, to put forward the New York pledge: United Nations libraries mobilize to
support the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and calls upon United Nations
Secretariat libraries to work with the Dag Hammarskjöld Library on practical

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17
A/71/757.

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cooperation in devising modern library and knowledge services and electronic

platforms, in a cost-neutral manner;
94. Reiterates the need to maintain a multilingual collection of books,
periodicals and other materials in both hard copy and electronic formats, accessible
to Member States and others, ensuring that the Dag Hammarskjöld Library continues
to be a broadly accessible resource for information about the United Nations and its
activities, including through a multilingual home page, from within existing resources;
95. Welcomes the initiatives taken by the Dag Hammarskjöld Library, in its
capacity as the focal point, to expand the scope of the regional training and
knowledge-sharing workshops organized for the depository libraries in developing
countries to include outreach in their activities;
96. Acknowledges the role of the Dag Hammarskjöld Library in enhancing
knowledge-sharing and networking activities to ensure access to the vast store of
United Nations knowledge for delegates, permanent missions of Member States, the
Secretariat, researchers and depository libraries worldwide;

VI
Outreach services
97. Notes the efforts of the United Nations intranet and iSeek team to raise
awareness among staff members of new initiatives and developments in different
departments of the Secretariat, and requests the Department of Global
Communications, as a matter of priority and in the spirit of synergies and efficiency,
to study ways of integrating the Member States’ e-deleGATE portal into the iSeek
platform for more efficient and effective sharing of information with Member States,
and to report to the Committee on Information on this issue at its forty-second session;
98. Stresses that the central objective of the outreach and knowledge services
implemented by the Department of Global Communications is to promote awareness
of the role and work of the United Nations by fostering dialogue with global
constituencies, such as academia, civil society, educators, students and youth, with
the overall emphasis on multilingualism from the planning stage, in close
collaboration with the substantive departments, specialized agencies, funds and
programmes of the United Nations;
99. Notes with serious concern that many outreach and knowledge services
are not yet available in all official languages, and in this regard urges the Department
of Global Communications, as a matter of priority, to mainstream multilingualism
into all outreach and knowledge services, bearing in mind the importance of making
use of all the official languages of the United Nations and ensuring their full and
equitable treatment in all the activities of the Department, with the aim of eliminating
the disparity between the use of English and the use of the five other official
languages;
100. Encourages the United Nations Academic Impact to take effective steps to
facilitate exchanges between the United Nations and insti tutions of higher education
and academic, research and scientific communities in all regions to support the
common principles and purposes of the United Nations, contribute to the realization
of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, foster global ci tizenship and fill
knowledge gaps, while recognizing the role of the United Nations Educational,
Scientific and Cultural Organization and its constitution;
101. Notes the continued growth of the United Nations Academic Impact, calls
upon the Department of Global Communications to promote global awareness of the
Academic Impact in order to encourage balanced participation among Member States
and their continued support for the initiative, within existing resources, and

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encourages Member States to promote the initiative among their academic

institutions, as appropriate, with a view to their joining it, in accordance with General
Assembly resolutions 73/102 A and B;
102. Welcomes the educational outreach activities of the Department of Global
Communications, and requests the Department to continue to reach educators and
young people worldwide through a range of multilingual multimedia platforms
including, in particular, in the dissemination of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable
Development through the educational system, including elementary schools;
103. Commends the United Nations Academic Impact for its continued
engagement with the global community of scholarship in realizing th e objectives of
the Organization, requests the Secretary-General to continue to promote this initiative
by encouraging eligible institutions of higher education in all regions, especially from
developing countries, to enrol and contribute actively to the g oals of the United
Nations, and in this regard notes with appreciation the cost -neutral partnerships it has
successfully initiated thus far with a view to multiplying membership;
104. Emphasizes the importance of the continued implementation by the
Department of Global Communications of the ongoing Reham Al-Farra Memorial
Journalists’ Fellowship Programme for broadcasters and journalists from developing
countries and countries with economies in transition, as mandated by the General
Assembly, and requests the Department to consider how best to maximize the benefits
derived from the Programme by extending, inter alia, its duration and the number of
its participants;
105. Encourages the Department of Global Communications to make the
UN Chronicle available in paperless editions only, with a view to expanding the
service to all six official languages within existing resources, and requests the
Department to report to the Committee on Information at its forty-second session on
progress in this matter;
106. Welcomes the movement towards educational outreach and the orientation
of the UN Chronicle, and to this end encourages the UN Chronicle to continue to
develop partnerships and collaborative educational activities and events with civil
society organizations and institutions of higher learning;
107. Acknowledges the importance of the Yearbook of the United Nations as an
authoritative reference work, and welcomes the work of the Department of Global
Communications in expanding the content and the functions o f the website of the
Yearbook;
108. Requests the Secretary-General to continue his efforts to ensure that, in
view of their income-generating nature, guided tours at United Nations Headquarters
are consistently available in all six official languages of the United Nations as well
as in non-official languages;
109. Notes the ongoing efforts of the Department of Global Communications to
strengthen its role as a focal point for two-way interaction with civil society relating
to the priorities and concerns of the Organization identified by Member States, and
also notes in this regard the increasing involvement of civil society in United Nations
activities, including the outreach activities directed at youth representatives and
young journalists;
110. Recalls its resolution 41/68 D of 3 December 1986, commends the World
Federation of United Nations Associations and its more than 100 national United
Nations associations for the valuable contributions that they have made during the
past 73 years through their global activities in the mobilization of popular support for
the United Nations, and calls for continued collaboration between the World

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Federation and the Department of Global Communications in support of their

complementary objectives;
111. Commends, in a spirit of cooperation, the United Nations Correspondents
Association for its ongoing activities and for its Dag Hammarskjöld Memorial
Scholarship Fund, which sponsors journalists from developing countri es to come to
United Nations Headquarters and report on the activities during the sessions of the
General Assembly, and further encourages the international community to continue
its financial support for the Fund;
112. Expresses its appreciation for the efforts and contribution of United
Nations Messengers of Peace, Goodwill Ambassadors and other advocates to promote
the work of the United Nations and to enhance international public awareness of its
priorities and concerns, and calls upon the Department of Global Communications to
continue to involve them in its global communications and media strategies and
outreach activities;

VII
Final remarks
113. Requests the Secretary-General to report to the Committee on Information
at its forty-second session and to the General Assembly at its seventy-fifth session on
the activities of the Department of Global Communications and on the
implementation of all recommendations and requests contained in the present
resolution, and requests the Department of Global Communications to provide a
briefing in this regard, before the next session of the Committee on Information;
114. Notes the initiative taken by the Department of Global Communications,
in cooperation with the Department of Safety and Security and the Protocol and
Liaison Service of the Secretariat, during the annual general debate of the General
Assembly, to issue special identification stickers to mission-designated personnel of
Member States to enable them to escort media covering the visits of high -level
officials to restricted areas, and strongly urges the Secretary-General to continue to
improve this practice by acceding to the request by Member States to provi de the
needed number of additional passes to press and other relevant officers of Member
States to allow their access to all areas that are deemed restricted, in order to
effectively and comprehensively report on high-level meetings that include officials
of delegations of Member States;
115. Requests the Committee on Information to report to the General Assembly
at its seventy-fifth session;
116. Decides to include in the provisional agenda of its seventy-fifth session
the item entitled “Questions relating to information”.

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