STRESSED IN COMMITTEE ON INFORMATION DEBATE
Bridging the digital divide between the industrialized
and developing countries was the key point underscored by many speakers, as the
Committee on Information continued its general debate this morning.
Nigeria’s representative said that while information
technology had contributed to the economy of a few countries in the South, the
reality was that many countries had not benefited and that the gap between
developed and developing was widening. There was an urgent need to
integrate developing nations into the new information and communication
order. He therefore called on developed countries to increase assistance
for communications infrastructure in developing countries, as well as for the
support infrastructure.
Lending support to Nigeria’s call, Algeria’s
representative stated that reversing the continuing gap between the two
hemispheres would also require large-scale international cooperation.
Cuba’s representative said there was a lack of political
will in industrialized countries to reverse negative trends. Instead, a
frenzied race had been unleashed to patent not only technologies, but also the
ideas that supported the new economies, creating further barriers to third
world countries that needed those technologies. Intellectual property
rights excluded developing countries from knowledge. In addition, private
research was focused on the whims of rich consumers and not on the needs of the
large groups of dispossessed.
Mongolia’s representative strongly advocated a new and
more just information and communication order that was based on a free and
balanced flow of information to the world’s people. The United Nations
system should play a proactive role in that regard by creating an indispensable
environment for universal access to information and communication technologies
for all nations.
The representative of the Netherlands (on behalf of the
Western European and Other States Group) said that in a changing environment of
new technologies and opportunities, the United Nations would have to try and
bring its message to as many people as it possibly could. That was a
daunting task and underscored the need for further and continued reform and
improvement in the way in the Organization disseminated information.
Reform was more than simply reducing costs and improving
efficiency, he went on to say. The overall objective should be to enhance
the effectiveness of UnitedNations information activities. It was also
necessary to move further away from the approach of trying to do it all and to
develop new strategies and approaches.
The observer for Palestine, speaking on behalf of the
Arab League, stressed that all the official United Nations languages must be
used and used effectively. Moreover, he underscored that Arabic must have
parity with the other languages. He called for increased television and
radio broadcasting in Arabic and for the library to make more Arabic material
available.
Also this morning, Milos Alcalay (Venezuela), Chairman of
the Committee, informed members that Antigua and Barbuda would participate in
the session as an observer. The delegation of the observer for Palestine
would also participate in the session as an observer and address the Committee
in its capacity as Chairman of the Arab group.
The representatives of Syria, Republic of Korea, Russian
Federation, Egypt, and Yemen also made statements in this morning’s general
debate.
The representatives of the United States and Cuba also
spoke in exercise of the right of reply.
The Committee on Information met this morning to continue
its general debate. (For background information on the twenty-third session of
the Committee, which began yesterday, see Press Release PI/1336 dated 27
April.)
Statements
MILOS ALCALAY (Venezuela), Chairman of the Committee,
proposed that the Committee hold its general debate during meetings today and
tomorrow. On Thursday morning, the Secretary-General was expected to
address the Committee in honour of World Press Freedom Day, and that afternoon
the Committee would hear a statement by the Interim Head of the Department of
Public Information (DPI). He hoped that the open-ended working group
could start its work on Friday. In that regard, he asked for texts before
the weekend, if possible, allowing time for translation.
MOHAMED BELAOURA (Algeria) said the Department of the
Public Information occupied a central place in organizing and disseminating the
messages of the United Nations. That role was all the more essential
since mobilization of public opinion was one of the priorities of the
Department. He called upon it to redouble its efforts to ensure the
widest possible dissemination about United Nations actions in the field of
decolonization in order to help people in the Non-Self-Governing Territories to
exercise their right to self-determination.
He welcomed the fact that the United Nations Web site had
been developed so much and was now well known. Progress by the news
centre on the Web site provided much satisfaction and hope. He also hoped that
the six official languages of the Organization would receive equal treatment
and development on the Web site. In addition, he called for the Arabic
service in the library to be strengthened so that that the many users of that
language could have access to pertinent information.
He said the United Nations could and must play a primary
role in the pursuit of freedom, development cooperation and bringing
communication in the South up to the levels of the North. Many countries
in the developing world, particularly in Africa, were decades behind in the new
information order. The continuing gap between the two hemispheres must be
redressed. Only large-scale international cooperation could reverse that
trend, he added.
CHARLES ONONYE (Nigeria) said that the establishment of a
new and effective world information and communication order was important to
his country. That was why Nigeria had joined with other nations during
the Millennium Summit to underscore the importance of an effective information
and communication order as a vital tool in the process of globalization and
liberalization of the world economy. In Africa, access to information
could stimulate change and create improved environments that would respond to
the specific needs of the people. Teachers used information and computer
technology to obtain material to convey up-to-date information to their
students. For a continent seriously affected by poverty, the acquisition
of appropriate information and communications technology could play a decisive
role in developing the capacity for food security. Unfortunately, the
absence of relevant infrastructure was a major hindrance to harnessing the
benefits of modern information technology in Africa.
Information and communications technology provided an
essential tool for building durable democratic institutions, particularly in
new and emerging democracies, he said. That position was based on the
assumption that all of the population had access to information technology.
It had been argued that information technology would promote economic
development in developing countries. While it had contributed to the
economy of a few countries in the South, the reality was that many countries
had not benefited. The gap in information technology between developed
and developing countries continued to widen. There was urgent need to
focus on how to integrate the developing nations into the new information and
communication order. Nigeria called on the developed countries to increase
their assistance for the development of the communications infrastructure in
developing countries, as well as the support infrastructures.
Nigeria applauded DPI for continuing to provide high
quality service that all could be proud of, he continued. The performance
of the Department during the Millennium Summit was exemplary. The Web
site –- equipped with live and multimedia access –- provided an invaluable
asset to all delegations and to the media around the world. Nigeria
attached great importance to the accessibility of the Web site to users,
especially in developing countries and welcomed measures to ensure broad-based
global support for the Organization through the activities of DPI.
While Nigeria supported the United Nations efforts in
facilitating the availability and utilization of information technology in
developing countries, it urged the Department to continue to re-evaluate its
activities, prioritizing its goals in a manner that was consistent with the
Millennium Declaration, he said. Greater emphasis should be given to
areas such as economic and social development, poverty eradication, debt
relief, elimination of illiteracy, eradication of drug trafficking, women’s
rights and children in armed conflict. He welcomed the Department’s
involvement in the implementation plan for the Brahimi Panel Report on United
Nations Peace Operations. Provision of an adequate information
infrastructure in any peace operation was crucial to the success of the mission
and the safety of peacekeepers and other international personnel involved.
As the cheapest and most accessible communications
technology, radio remained critical to developed countries as the traditional
means of dissemination of information, he added. Nigeria supported the
efforts of the Secretariat to promote global outreach through broadcasting
arrangements with partner radio stations in most regions of the world, making
it possible to disseminate information in an impartial manner all over the
world in the United Nations official languages and others. Nigeria
welcomed remarks made yesterday about the radio pilot project. Subject to
availability of funds, Nigeria suggested that radio listening posts be
established in educational institutions in sub-Saharan Africa.
Nigeria welcomed the proposals contained in the report on
the integration of United Nations information centres with field offices of the
United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), he said. The integration
should focus on the development of human and technical resources, which was vital
for the improvement of information and communications systems in developing
countries. He also supported the training programmes for journalists and
broadcasters from developing countries, especially in Africa. Nigeria
supported the proposals made by the Committee to strengthen DPI to enable it to
meet its increased responsibilities and, hopefully, create conditions to
facilitate the integration of developing countries into the global information
and communication technology revolution.
JARGALSAIKHANY ENKHSAIKHAN (Mongolia) said he wished to
underline the urgent need to bridge the existing gap between the developed and
developing countries in the field of public information and
communication. His delegation therefore strongly advocated a new and more
just order that was based on a free and balanced flow of information to the
world’s people. The United Nations system should play a proactive role in
that regard by creating an indispensable environment for universal access to
information and communication technologies for all nations.
He stressed the importance of objective information in
the regions fraught with tension where the Organization’s peacekeeping missions
operated. The raising of public awareness about such missions was crucial
for the successful fulfilment of mandates. His delegation also believed
that the United Nations information system could play an important role in the
field of sustainable development by focusing on crucial socio-economic and
environmental issues.
He said that to further enhance the plans designed by the
Secretary-General, the Organization, and especially the communication capacity
of the Department of Public Information, had to be strengthened by introducing
state-of-the-art technology and allocating necessary resources in line with
existing needs.
RAFAEL DAUSA CESPEDES (Cuba) said that today, more than
ever before, scientific and technological developments, particularly in the
area of information and communications, influenced all spheres of human
life. Nevertheless, at the beginning of the new millennium, the gap
between rich and poor nations continued to grow. While humanity had more
and better instruments to combat poverty, poverty was growing around the
world.
The process of globalization was greatly based on
technological and scientific developments in the area of information and
communications, he said. The development of information and
communications came with a bitter contradiction. The more progress was
made, the broader the technological gap between developed and developing countries.
While some countries talked about accelerating the development of the Internet
and the most sophisticated means of communications, others faced very high
levels of illiteracy and poverty. Some 97 per cent of Internet
servers were located in developed countries.
In a globalized world, the technological gap between the
North and the South became wider under conditions of growing privatization of
scientific research, he said. The new world economy based on knowledge
was turning information into a good, which was as valuable or even more
valuable than traditional goods. In the developed countries, a frenzied
race had been unleashed to patent not only technologies, but also the ideas
that supported the new economies, creating further barriers to third world
countries that needed those technologies. Intellectual property rights
excluded developing countries from knowledge. Private research was
focused on the whims of rich consumers and not on the needs of the large groups
of dispossessed. The lack of political will of industrialized countries
to reverse negative trends caused him to reiterate the conviction that a new
international information and communication order was needed today more than
ever before.
Cuba believed that aspects contained in draft resolution
A, which were traditionally approved by the Committee, were today more
important than ever and could not be replaced with a discussion on the digital
divide, which Cuba would not oppose since it was a major topic. He said
the international community must make great effort if it wanted to move from
word to action and action, allowing developing countries to become active
counterparts in the development of resources.
The United Nations information centres must play an
important role, particularly in developing countries, as key elements for
disseminating information on the Organization, he added. Cuba reiterated
its concern for difficulties in the integration process of the information
centres with UNDP field offices. Special attention must be paid to the
achievement of proper financing for the different information centres, in
particular those based on developing countries. Cuba commended the
efforts made by the United Nations and DPI, specifically in developing the
United Nations Web site and the efforts to take the Internet to all developing
countries. Nevertheless, that must be done without affecting the capacity
and scope of the United Nations radio and television programmes, which were
pivotal for developing countries.
The need to work to develop and improve the Web site in
all United Nations official languages must not be overlooked, he said. He
joined with Spanish-speaking counties to give Spanish the treatment it deserved
as an official United Nations language, both on the Web site and in the rest of
the Department’s work. Cuba was not satisfied with the attempt to
continue reducing the already decreased structures of DPI, based on
recommendations made in the Brahimi report, which had not taken into account
all realities.
He said that over 1,600 hours per week of radio and
television programmes were broadcast to Cuba from the United States on over 26
frequencies. Those radio and television transmissions were flagrant
violations of international law and regulations provided by the International
Frequency Registration Board of the International Telecommunications
Union. Despite the fact that the United Nations had adopted different
resolutions to prevent misuse or exploitation of information resources for
criminal or terrorist purposes, the United States continued to run, finance and
facilitate illegal transmissions against Cuba, some of which were terrorist and
distortive of the existing reality in his country. The United States had
done everything in its electronic war against Cuba, including improving power,
antennas and changing VHF transmission to UHF. Cuba reiterated its
condemnation against that aggression and rejected attempts of the United States
to keep illegal radio and television transmissions against Cuba and to decide
on the kind of information Cubans must receive.
PETER MOLLEMA (Netherlands) spoke on behalf of the
Western European and Other States Group. He said that while the
technological changes that were reshaping the way information was distributed
had to be taken into consideration, the traditional tasks of the Department of
Public Information –- media such as radio, which reached millions of the
world’s listeners -- must not be forgotten.
“We have to determine what we think are the core
activities of the Department of Public Information”, he said. “We need to
formulate policies to strengthen the Department’s effectiveness and efficiency
in order for it to meet the challenges of the twenty-first century.” Such
policies must also ensure that the Organization reached out to disseminators of
information, especially the media and non-governmental organizations (NGOs),
utilizing the latest technologies. “We need a Department of Public
Information that realizes the slogan: Global Vision, Local Voice”, he said.
He said that in a changing environment of new
technologies and opportunities, the United Nations would have to try and bring
its important message to as many people as it possibly could. That was a
daunting task and underscored the need for further and continued reform and
improvement in the way the Organization disseminated information. Reform
was more than simply reducing costs and improving efficiency. The overall
objective should be to enhance the effectiveness of United Nations information
activities. It was also necessary to move further away from the approach
of trying to do it all and to develop new strategies and approaches.
LOUAY FALLOUH (Syria) said he attached great importance
to setting up a new information order, which was more just and reflective of
United Nations principles, international law and the wishes of all
people. All wanted a world of mutual respect. There was a need to
bridge the digital divide between the developing and developed countries, to
bring forth the voice of the United Nations and to reflect the real situation
of developing countries without presenting a distorted view of their
aspirations.
Syria had made great progress in the area of audio-visual
information and in its written press, he said. Information and
development went hand in hand. Syria’s media contributed to informing
public opinion regarding events of a regional or international order, stressing
matters of interest to developing countries. The transmission of
information had seen great progress through the use of the Internet.
Syria also disseminated information via satellite to inform the rest of the
world about challenges facing the Arab world in an objective and sincere
manner.
The United Nations and its Member States were responsible
for disseminating the voice of the Organization and making its aims and
activities known in both developed and developing worlds, he said. Syria
expected the Organization to provide coverage of the positions of the majority
of its members. It was essential to cover resistance to foreign
occupation, thereby ensuring the mobilization of the international community to
fight foreign occupation. It was also essential to strengthen efforts to
bring about global peace, in particular in the Middle East, and to promote
various forms of development -- cultural and social. DPI must enrich the
work of the United Nations in the area of information and must work with
greater force.
It was important to use the six official languages of the
United Nations and to place them on an equal footing, he said. He agreed
with the Secretary-General on the importance of equality in the languages of
the United Nations and also on the point that its resources not be
wasted. Regarding the development of the United Nations Web site, Syria
felt that all financial resources must be applied to ensure full equality
between the six languages on the Web site. Necessary resources must be
allocated to do that, and he hoped that when the Secretary-General presented
his initial proposal for the 2002-2003 programme budget, that it would contain
all necessary appropriations to ensure complete parity among all language sites
and not widen the gap caused by the digital divide.
He said there was still a great divide in the way in
which written documents appeared. He stressed the importance of all
documents being issued in all the official languages of the Organization.
It was also important to continue training courses given to developing
countries to improve their Internet skills. The Secretariat had not
adopted specific measures to ensure that press releases were printed in the six
official languages. Syria expressed its wish to work together to step up
the work being done and to improve the information situation in the United
Nations.
KIM YOUNG-MOK (Republic of Korea) said that since the
primary mission of the Department of Public Information was to provide reliable
and accessible information about the United Nations, it was necessary to
develop an overall communication strategy to analyse demand features of
worldwide target audiences and to tailor the Department’s efforts to meet the
demand. As part of that communication strategy, the Department should
further develop the United Nations Web site and upgrade the library system in
order to improve efficiency and eliminate overlapping activities. That
process should include the establishment of one central Internet portal and one
central system-wide online catalogue to facilitate the retrieval of United
Nations materials.
His delegation supported the Department’s efforts to
increase both public awareness and support for United Nations activities.
Since intensive and comprehensive work on improving the Organization’s
peacekeeping had been under way in both the Security Council and the
Secretariat, he stressed the importance of involving the Department from the
planning stage of a peacekeeping operation through interdepartmental
consultations and coordination with other substantive departments of the
Secretariat. He also called on the Department to assist in the
implementation of recommendations contained in the Brahimi report.
BORIS MALAKHOV (Russian Federation) said that while the
rapid introduction of modern information technology in all fields of life
opened up opportunities for economic growth, its negative consequences must
also be kept in mind. The adoption of General Assembly resolutions on
information security was an important step in the information field. An
independent press, television and radio broadcasting played an important role
in a democratic society. The media must become an instrument that
contributed to the prevention of crises. The free media must play a most
important role in the eradication of racism. He proposed the inclusion in
part B of the General Assembly resolution of a paragraph that called upon
States, the media and non-governmental organization to prevent use of the media
and new information technologies which would undermine democracy, fan ethnic
strife and contribute to any manifestations of extremism.
Information was an important means for molding public
opinion, he said. He noted the concrete steps taken by DPI to reorient
its activities in the information field. The United Nations rightly
attached importance to the development of new information technology. At
same time, he was not convinced that it was wise to stress the creation within
the United Nations system of a fully fledged news agency which would work on
the same principle as world information services. For DPI to compete
would be difficult and complex.
It was, however, sensible to focus on the preparation of
materials to enhance the interest of media in United Nations activities and to
provide professional comments to media. The United Nations could and must
be a source of the most up-to-date information for the media, in cases where
the United Nations was involved in a crisis area or had infrastructures that
journalists might lack.
The launching of an updated central United Nations Web
site in line with equality of all languages improved communication about United
Nations activities, he said. However, the principle of parity in all
languages, supported overwhelming by the majority of Member States -- was
taking shape far too slowly. While the main page was visually identical,
a gap still existed and continued to grow in the volume of information, mainly
because of limited resources. He supported carrying out a technical and
economic survey to determine the requirements in staffing, technologies and
material content to obtain parity in six languages. Strengthening the
technical basis of Web sites was necessary, as was the need to equip them with
modern search systems in all official languages.
Russia stressed the significance of daily 15-minute radio
broadcasts for vast Russian audiences, he added. For further success, the
proportionate number of staff and technical provisions in all six language
sections in the radio service was necessary. That could be done in an
inexpensive way, namely through the fair reallocation of existing
resources. Russia supported the need for a balanced approach to providing
resources to information centres. Where necessary, a programme to merge
information centres with UNDP must be carried out, taking into account the
views of host countries. However, the analysis by DPI of seven out of 14
questionnaires did not provide a full assessment of the situation. Russia
noted the active participation of DPI in promoting the fifteenth anniversary of
the Chernobyl accident. It was also grateful for measures to promote
dialogue among civilizations. DPI’s work in that area would help achieve
the objective of peaceful coexistence. DPI faced complex tasks.
Russia was ready to cooperate in the attainment of acceptable solutions.
HOSSAM ZAKI (Egypt) said his delegation had studied the
Secretary-General’s report on the equal distribution of resources for United
Nations information centres. He hoped those centres would continue their
important role and keep pace with political, social, economic and environmental
developments in the Organization. He also hoped the Department of Public
Information would continue to review the level of resources devoted to those
centres to reach the optimum levels needed for them to function
efficiently. In addition, the Department should bear in mind the special
needs of the African continent -- especially in light of the Millennium
Declaration.
He said his delegation was looking forward to the
Secretariat submitting realistic proposals on achieving linguistic parity on
the United Nations Web site. He hoped that it would double its efforts to
prepare and submit such proposals, since time wasting would only lead to
further increasing the gap between what was available on the Web site in
English and what was available in other languages, namely Arabic. His
delegation had always made a point of drawing attention to the activities of
the Department in relation to the question of Palestine. He also
expressed appreciation to the Department for organizing the annual training
programme for Palestinian journalists.
ALI AHMED MOHAMED AL-DAILMI (Yemen) said that Yemen had
chosen the path of democratic expression and was convinced of the importance of
communication. There were great disparities between developed and
developing States regarding information technology. The international
community must help developing countries acquire the technology to bridge the
digital divide. Information had become a way to realize political
freedoms. Better information technology would enable better coverage of
events.
The Department had played an important role in peace and
security, economic and social development and in the promotion of human rights,
he said. The Internet was a driving force in that action. He
congratulated DPI for the broad dissemination of information and expressed
support for the United Nations information centres. He subscribed to the
Committee’s strategy to bring about a fair distribution of information,
covering all countries of the world. Yemen was concerned at the weak
status of the Arabic language, despite the consistent appeals of the
Assembly. The use of the Arabic language should be promoted, particularly
regarding interpretation and translation at United Nations conferences, and in
publications and television broadcasts.
MARWAN JILANI, observer for Palestine, speaking on behalf
of the Arab League, said he wished to reaffirm the importance of information
and the actions of the Department of Public Information in making the
principles of the United Nations Charter known. Among those principles
were the maintenance of peace, the struggle against poverty and violence,
denouncing oppression and assisting people in the fight for
self-determination. For such efforts to be successful, the United Nations
must be strengthened, particularly in the way it provided information. In
that respect, the Organization’s information centres must have all the possible
means available to them.
He said that Arabic must have parity with the other
languages and called for increased television and radio broadcasting in Arabic
and for the library to make more Arabic material available. It was also
highly important to strengthen the information coverage on the question of
Palestine and the suffering of the Palestinian people. He believed that
the Department of Public Information must reflect the cultural diversity of
countries –- a diversity which would increase the heritage of peace and
understanding.
Right of Reply
DAVID A. TRAYSTMAN (United States), speaking in right of
reply, said that the Cuban delegation should work in a more constructive manner.
Time could be better spent by discussing the enhancement of the Department’s
role. Energy should be focused, for example, on strengthening the
information capacity of peacekeeping operations and enhancing the safety and
security of staff.
RAFAEL DAUSA CESPEDES (Cuba) said that his statement had
referred to those subjects. His delegation had always been prepared to
discuss the problems of DPI. Unfortunately, Cuba had no other alternative
but to deal with the United States media aggression in part of its
statement. While it might be better to devote time to other matters, it
would also be better if the $22 million that the United States spent on that
media aggression be used for United Nations projects. It was throwing
that money out the window because Cuba’s technicians had been blocking the
illegal transmissions for years. The United States had no right to decide
on the information that Cubans received. Cuba would continue to work
constructively, but insisted on right to denounce that kind of activity.
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