Questions Relating to Information

A/RES/36/149[B]View PDF

Who adopted this document and its mandates?

A Resolution of the General Assembly, under agenda item 67 Questions relating to information, published in 1982.

What else is in this group?

77 documents · 1979–2025

Newer documents in this group exist (latest: 2025).

Year	Symbol	Title	Word length	Text similarity
2025	A/RES/80/84 A-B	Questions relating to information resolutions	—	–
2024	A/RES/79/93 A-B	Questions relating to information resolutions	—	–
2023	A/RES/78/80 A-B	Questions relating to information resolutions	—	–
2022	A/RES/77/128 A-B	Questions relating to information resolutions	—	–
2021	A/RES/76/84 A-B	Questions relating to information resolutions	—	–

This group bundles related documents that are not individually ordered.

What subjects does this mandate have?

4 subjects

Information Centres Public Information Publications Radio Broadcasting

What’s in this document?

43 operative paragraphs

A/RES/36/149 [B]

Recalling its resolutions 34/ I 8 I and 34/ I 82 of 18 De cember 1979 and 35/201 of 16 December 1980.

Recalling the relevant provisions of the Final Declaration of the Sixth Conference of Heads of State or Government of Non-Aligned Countries, held at Havana from 3 to 9 September 1979, 26 of the Declaration of the Conference of Ministers for Foreign Affairs of Non-Aligned Countries. held at New Delhi from 9 to 13 February 1981, 27 and of the Fifth Meeting of the Intergovernmental Council of Min isters of Information of Non-Aligned Countries. held at Georgetown in May 1981,

Recalling the relevant resolutions adopted by the Assem bly of Heads of State and Government of the Organization of African Unity at its eighteenth ordinary session, held at Nairobi from 24 to 27 June I 981, 28

Recalling the relevant provisions of the Final Act of the Conference on Security and Co-operation in Europe, signed at Helsinki on I August 1975,

Recalling the relevant provisions of the Declaration on the Preparation of Societies for Life in Peace, 2"

Recalling the Intergovernmental Conferences on Com munication Policies, held respectively at San Jose in July 1976, Kuala Lumpur in February 1979 and Yaounde in July 1980, the preparatory meeting of experts for the inter governmental planning conference to develop institutional arrangements and systematic collaborative consultation on communication development activities, needs and plans. held at Washington in November 1979. and the Intergov-

ment No. 5 (E/1981/25 and Corr. I). chap. XXVIII. sect. A 26 See A/34/542, annex, sect. I. paras. 280-299.

27 See A/36/ 116 and Corr. I. annex 28 See A/361534, annex II 29 Resolution 33173. ernmental Conference for Co-operation on Activities, Needs and Programmes for Communications Development, held in Paris from 14 to 21 April 1980, as well as the international seminars on the development of commtmication held under the auspices of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, such as that which took place at Tashkent in September 1979.

Recalling resolution 4/21 adopted by the General Con ference of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization at its twenty-first session, in which it resolved to establish, within the framework of the organ ization, the International Programme for the Development of Communication and to elect the Intergovernmental Coun cil of the Programme,3°

Recalling also that the implementation of the objectives of the International Programme frJr the Development of Communication requires the co-operation of all those in terested and concerned,

Considering that communication plays a fundamental role as a vehicle of information and an instrument for acquiring knowledge and know-how and, consequently, represents an important dimension in the life of societies,

Conscious of the important contribution which the mass information and communication media and the free circu lation and wider and better balanced dissemination of in formation can make to co-operation between all countries. the strengthening of international peace and security, the promotion of human rights. international understanding, progress of education and science, the preservation of their cultural identities and the promotion of their socio-cultural values,

Recognizing the central role of the United Nations Edu cational. Scientific and Cultural Organization in the field of communications and information. within its mandate. as well as the progress accomplished by the organization in that field.

Takes note with satisfaction of the report of the Director-General of the United Nations Educational, Scien tific and Cultural Organization on the implementation of the International Programme for the Development of Communication;' 1 2.

Considers that resolution No. I adopted by the Inter governmental Council of the International Programme for the Development of Communication of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization at its first session, held in Paris from 15 to 22 June 198 I, 12 constitutes an important step in the implementation of the Programme;

Expresses its appreciation to all Member States that announced their contributions to the Programme, in the form of _fiÉancial means, manpower, materials, technology and trammg for the development of communication, especially

taking note of the contributions in this regard from devel oping countries;

Calls upon Member States---developed and devel oping alike-and organizations and bodies of the United Nations system, as well as other intergovernmental organ izations and concerned public and private enterprises, to lend their support to the expansion of the Programme's resources;

_5._ Invites MÊmËer States to take the necessary steps, w1thm the orgamzat10ns and bodies of the United Nations system and other organizations of which they are members. to secure satisfactory implementation of the Programme through the allocdtion of additional resources:

m A/35/362/Add. I. annex I.

" A/36/530. annex.

" !hid.. appendix I

Endorses the appeal of the Director-General of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organ ization addressed to Member States, international organ izations and bodies of the United Nations system, as well as other intergovernmental and non-governmental organi zations, professional groups or other available sourceŘ, to make contributions to the Programme as soon as possible:

Invites the Director-General of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization to submit to the General Assembly at its thirty-seventh session a prog ress report on the implementation of the Programme as well as on the efforts of that organization for the establishment of a new world information and communication order.

I 00th plenary meeting 16 December /981

B

Approves the report of the Comrr.ittee on Information and its recommendations;

Reaffirms the mandate given to the Committee on Information by the General Assembly in its resolution 34/182, namely:

To continue to examine United Nations public in formation 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 in formation and communication order;

To evaluate and follow up the efforts made and the progress achieved by the United Nations system in the field of information and communications:

To promote the establishment of a new, more just and more effective world information and communication order, intended to strengthen peace and international un derstanding and based on the free circulation and wider and better balanced dissemination of information, and to make recommendations thereon to the General Assembly;

Requests the Committee on Information, keeping in mind its mandate, the essential tasks of which are to continue to examine the policies and activities of the Department of Public Information of the Secretariat and to promote the establishment of a new, more just and more effective world information and communication order, to avoid any over lapping of its activities on this subject with those of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organ ization, while stressing at the same time the ever-growing significance of the close working co-operation between that organization and the United Nations;

Requests the Committee on Information to seek the co-operation and active participation of all organizations of the United Nations system, particularly the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, in the fulfilment of its mandate;

Affirms its strong support for the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization and for its efforts to promote the establishment of a new world information and communication order;

Reiterates its appeal to Member States, to the infor mation and communication media, both public and private, as well as to non-governmental organizations, to dissemi nate more widely information about the activities of the United Nations and, inter alia, about the efforts of the developing countries towards their economic, social and cultural progress and about the efforts of the international community to achieve international social justice and eco nomic development, international peace and security and the progressive elimination of international inequities and tensions;

Requests that the Joint United Nations Information Committee, as the essential instrument for interagency co ordination and co-operation in the field of public information and for the development of a common public information approach covering all aspects of the activities of the organ izations within the United Nations system, should continue with its task and that it should be strengthened and made more effective;

Reaffirms the importance of the rapidly increasing role of United Nations public information programmes in fostering public understanding and support of United Nations activities and requests the Secretary-General to continue to review the current activities of the Department of Public Information with a view to ensuring a better and more efficient use of its available resources;

Reiterates the recommendation contained in its res olution 35/201 that additional resources for the Department of Public Information should be commensurate with the increase in the activities of the United Nations which the pepartmÎnt is called upon to cover for the purpose of public mformat1on, and that the Secretary-General should provide such resources to the Department to this end where needed;

Requests the Secretary-General to ensure that the activities of the Department of Public Information, as the focal point for the co-ordination and implementation of the public information tasks of the United Nations, should be strei:igthened along the lines established in the pertinent res olutions of the General Assembly and recommendations of the Committee on Information, to ensure a more coherent covÏrage of, and a better knowledge about, the United NaÐ1ons anÑ its work, especially in its priority areas, such aÒ mternattonal peace and security. disarmament, peace-

keeping and peacemaking operations, decolonization, the promotion of human rights, the struggle against racial dis crimination, the integration of women in the struggle for peace and development, the establishment of the new in ternational economic order and the establishment of a new world information and communication order, ;ictivities against apartheid, the work of the United Nations Council for Namibia and the continuation of broadcast media pro grammes on women. due regard being given at the same time to economic and social issues;

Requests the Secretary-General to take measures to ensure that the existing imbalance in the staff of the De partment of Public Information should be rectified and, until equitable geographical distribution is achieved, to take ur gent steps to increase the representation of the group of developing countries. particularly at senior and policy-mak ing levels, by a policy of recruiting among their nationals,

taking into account also the interests of other under-repre sented groups of countries, in accordance with Article 101, paragraph 3, of the Charter of the United Nations and Gen eral Assembly resolutions 33/143 of 20 December I 978 and 35/210 of 17 December 1980, and to submit a progress report to the Committee on Information at its next session;

Requests the Secretary-General:

To ensure that the Department of Public Information makes a more strenuous effort to ensure balance in the use of official languages in the publications and programmes of the Department;

To strengthen the competent unit in the Department of Public Information for the production of United Nations information material in Spanish with a view to dissemination through United Nations information centres and United Nations Development Programme offices located in Span ish-speaking countries;

To report on the above to the Committee on Infor mation at its next session;

Requests the Secretary-General:

To submit to the Committee on Information for de cision at its next substantive session a plan for the region alization of the Radio and Visual Services Division of the Department of Public Information, keeping in mind General Assembly resolution 35/201 and following the views ex pressed and suggestions made in the course of the debate on this subject;

Without prejudice to the above plan for regionali zation of the Radio and Visual Services Division, to take necessary action for the establishment of a separate Carib bean Unit in the Radio Service and the expansion of its African Unit, to consider the enlargement of the Arabic Unit in the Radio Service as far as possible through redeployment of existing resources and to maintain and enhance its func tions as the producer of radio and television programmes to the Arabic-speaking countries;

To make specific proposals to the Committee on Information at its next session for the purpose of enabling the Asian Unit to undertake programming at a meaningful level in other major languages of the region;

To submit to the Committee on Information at its next substantive session a comprehensive report on the im plementation of subparagraphs (b) and (c) above;

Further requests the Secretary-General to imple ment fully his proposals, presented to and endorsed by the Committee on Information, for the expansion of United Nations short-wave broadcasts;'8

Requests the Secretary-General to ensure that the Department of Public Information continues to develop ac tive links with a broad spectrum of international and regional news organizations to encourage more media coverage of United Nations activities;

Requests the Secretary-General to ensure that the Department of Public Information continues and further strengthens its co-operation with the non-aligned countries in the field of information, particularly with the Pool of l'r m-Aligned News Agencies as well as with the regional .icWs agencies of developing countries, and in this regard requests that the Department should be adequately equipped to supply the Pool of Non-Aligned News Agencies, as well as the regional news agencies of the developing countries, with information on the activities of the United Nations system which they are redisseminating;

Requests the Secretary-General to consider the pos sibility that the Department of Public Information should receive the daily dispatches of the Pool of Non-Aligned News Agencies and the regional news agencies of devel oping countries in the interest of more balance in the sources of information used by the Department;

Requests the Secretary-General to ensure that the Department of Public Information extends and strengthens its co-operation with the national news agencies of devel oping countries;

Notes the important role of the United Nations in formation centres and their unique position to co-operate directly with national media and disseminators of infor mation in their areas;

Requests the Secretary-General:

To take appropriate steps to strengthen the capacity of the information centres where needed;

To present, on the basis of consultations between the Department of Public Information and other United Nations bodies concerned, drawing on the findings of the Joint Inspection Unit in its report, 39 the Secretary-General's comments thereon40 and the report of the Joint Inspection Unit on co-ordination in the field of public information activities,41 a study on ways and means to enhance the role of the information centres, along policy guidelines set by the General Assembly, focusing on measures to increase the functional flexibility of the centres, enable them to adjust their work to the needs and wishes of the countries con cerned, enhance the effectiveness of their work and improve the co-ordination of their activities as the decentralized part of the structure of the Department of Public Information;

2 1 . Reaffirms the importance of the role played by De velopment Forum and its decision that the continued pub lication of that periodical as an interagency project is essential and requests the Secretary-General to conclude his review of its financial status, to continue to seek to ensure long-term financial support for that publication from the organizations of the United Nations system and to report on this subject to the Committee on Information at its next session;

Stresses the importance of the presentation in United Nations publications of various points of view and experiences, in particular information about the efforts of the developing countries towards their economic, social and cultural progress;

Requests the Secretary-General as far as possible within existing resources to implement fully the recom mendations of the Committee on Information as well as to

39 A/341379.

40 A/341379/Add. I .

41 A/36/218.

9S

continue implementation of the recommendations set out in section III of General Assembly resolution 35/20 I and of the recommendations of the Ad Hoc Working Group of the Committee on Information42 as approved by the Assembly in its resolution 35/201;

Requests the Secretary-General to report on the progress made in implementing the recommendations men tioned in paragraph 23 above to the Committee on Infor mation at its next substantive session;

Requests the Committee on Information to report to the General Assembly at its thirty-seventh session;

Requests the Secretary-General to report on the im plementation of the present resolution to the General As sembly at its thirty-seventh session;

Decides to include in the provisional agenda of the 27. thirty-seventh session the item entitled "Questions relating to information".

25 Official Records of the t:conomic and Social Council, 19/!J. Supple

(b) 33 Resolution 217 A (IIJ).

34 Resolution 2200 A (XXI), annex.

" United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization,

'" Official Records of the General Assemh/v. Thirn·-sixth S,·.uion. Sup Records of the General Conference. Tw,•ntieth Session. vol. 1. Rern/utions.

plement No. 21 ( A/36/2 I l pp. 100-104.

'' A/161504.

"A/AC. 198136.

Who adopted this document and its mandates?

What else is in this group?

What subjects does this mandate have?

What’s in this document?

B

9S

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