Questions Relating to Information

Who adopted this document and its mandates?

A Resolution of the General Assembly, under agenda item 74 Questions relating to information, published in 1985.

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	—	–

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What’s in this document?

9 operative paragraphs

Recalling its resolutions 3535 (XXX) of 17 December 1975, 31/139 of 16 December 1976, 33/115 A to C of 18 December 1978, 34/181 and 34/182 of 18 December 1979, 35/201 of 16 December 1980. 36/149 B of 16 December 1981, 37194 B of 10 December 1982 and 38 182 B of 15 December 1983 on questions relating to informa t10n.

Recalling article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights,24 which provides that everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression and that this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interfer ence and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers. and article 29, which stipulates that these rights and freedoms may in no case be exercised contrary to the purposes and principles of the United Nations,

Recalling also articles 19 and 20 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.2'

Recalling the relevant provisions of the Political Decla ration of the Seventh Conference of Heads of State or Government of Non-Aligned Countries. held at New Delhi from 7 to 12 March 1983,26 in which the importance of the establishment of a new world information and com munication order was stressed anew. as well as the rele vant provisions of the Final Declaration of the Sixth Con ference of Heads of State or Government of Non-Aligned Countries, held at Havana from 3 to 9 September 1979, 27 and particularly the final documents of the Conference of the Ministers of Information of Non-Aligned Countries. held at Jakarta from 26 to 30 January 1984, ,K

Recalling its resolutions 320 I (S-VI) and 3202 (S-V I) of I May I 974, containing the Declaration and the Pro gramme of Action on the Establishment of a New Interna tional Economic Order. 3281 (XXIX) of 12 December I 97 4, containing the Charter of Economic Rights and Duties of States, and 3362 (S-VII) of 16 September 1975 on development and international economic co-operation.

Recalling the Declaration on Fundamental Principles concerning the Contribution of the Mass Media to Strengthening Peace and International Understanding. to the Promotion of Human Rights and to Countering Racialism, Apartheid and Incitement to War.29 as well as the relevant resolutions on information and mass commu nications adopted by the General Conference of the United Nations Educational. Scientific and Cultural Organization at its nineteenth, twentieth. twenty-first and twenty-second sessions.

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, and those of the Con cluding Document of the meeting of representatives of the participating States of the Conference on Security and Co operation in Europe. held at Madrid from 11 November 1980 to 9 September 1983,

Recalling also the relevant provisions of the Declaration on the Preparation of Societies for Life in Peace. ,o

Conscious of the need for all countries. the United Nations system as a whole and all others concerned, to col laborate in the establishment of a new world information

and communication order based, inter alia, on the free cir culation and wider and better balanced dissemination of information, guaranteeing diversity of sources of informa tion and free access to information, and, in particular, the urgent need to change the dependent status of the develop ing countries in the field of information and communica tion, as the principle of sovereign equality among nations extends also to this field, and intended also to strengthen peace and international understanding, enabling all per sons to participate effectively in political, economic, social and cultural life and promoting understanding and friend ship among all nations and human rights,

Reaffirming that the establishment of a new world infor mation and communication order is linked to the new international economic order and is an integral part of the international development process,

Emphasizing the important role that public information plays in promoting understanding of and support for the establishment of the new international economic order and international co-operation for development,

Emphasizing the role that public information plays in promoting support for universal disarmament and in increasing awareness of the relationship between disarma ment and development among as broad a public as possi ble,

Reaffirming the primary role which the General Assem bly is to play in elaborating, co-ordinating and harmoniz ing United Nations policies and activities in the field of information, and recognizing the central and important role of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cul tural Organization in the field of information and commu nication, and that the United Nations system as a whole and all others concerned, should give that organization adequate support and assistance in the field of information and communication,

Recognizing the importance of the co-ordination and co-operation between the Department of Public Informa tion of the Secretariat, the United Nations Development Programme, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization and its International Pro gramme for the Development of Communication in the promotion of the establishment of a new world informa tion and communication order,

Fully aware and cognizant of the important contribution which the mass media world-wide can make in enhancing and strengthening peace, deepening international under standing, promoting justice, equality, national indepen dence, development, the exercise of human rights and the establishment of a new world information and communi cation order,

Noting that the celebration in I 98 5 of the fortieth anni versary of the creation of the United Nations will provide a unique opportunity to promote and publicize the noble goals and acomplishments of the United Nations as a major forum for pooling the efforts of States to contribute to the solution of vital world problems,

Noting that the year 1985 will also mark the twenty-fifth anniversary of the adoption of the historic Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples, contained in General Assembly resolution 1514

(XV) of 14 December I 960, and the important role that the United Nations plays in its implementation,

Expressing its satisfaction with the successful co-ordina tion and co-operation displayed by the Department of Public Information with the Non-Aligned News Agencies Pool, as well as with news agencies of other developing and developed countries, and convinced that such efforts have contributed significantly to progress towards a new world information and communication order,

Taking note of the implementation by the Department of Public Information of those parts relevant to public information of the Paris Declaration on Namibia and the Programme of Action on Namibia, adopted by the Inter national Conference in Support of the Struggle of the Namibian People for Independence,31 as well as of the Bangkok Declaration and Programme of Action on Namibia,32 adopted by the United Nations Council for Namibia on 25 May 1984 at its extraordinary plenary meetings, held at Bangkok, in order to develop and further strengthen the dissemination of information regarding the struggle for independence of the people of Namibia, with a view to reaching the broadest possible public by means of a more systematic and better co-ordinated information campaign in accordance with General Assembly resolution 38/36 D of I December 1983,

Taking note also of the implementation by the Depart ment of Public Information of those parts of the Pro gramme of Action for the Achievement of Palestinian Rights33 relevant to information, in accordance with Gen eral Assembly resolution 38/58 E of 13 December 1983,

Taking note of the report of the Joint Inspection Unit on publications policy and practice in the United Nations sys tem,14

Expressing its satisfact10n with the work of the Commit tee on Information as reflected in its report, 35

Taking note with satisfaction of the report of the Secre tary-General on questions relating to information, 36

Taking note with satisfaction of the report of the Direc tor-General of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization,37 I . Approves the report of the Committee on Informa tion, and all the recommendations contained in paragraph 86 of that report and annexed to the present resolution and affirms the requests and appeals reproduced therein as well as all the provisions of General Assembly resolution 38/82 B, and particularly all those unimplemented recommenda tions, and urges their full implementation;

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

Requests the Committee on Information, keeping in mind its mandate, the essential tasks of which are to con tinue to examine the policies and activities of the Depart ment of Public Information of the Secretariat and to pro mote the establishment of a new, more just and effective world information and communication order, to continue 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 and the International Telecommunication Union, while taking all possible steps to avoid any over lapping of activities on this subject;

Reaffirms its strong support for the United Nations Educational. Scientific and Cultural Organization, its Con-

stitution and the ideals reflected therein, its activities and for its efforts to further enhance its capabilities with a view to promoting the establishment of a new world informa tion and communication order;

Reiterates its appeal to Member States, to the infor mation and communication media, both public and pri vate, as well as to non-governmental organizations, to dis seminate more widely objective and better balanced information about the activities of the United Nations and, inter alia, about the efforts of the developing coun tries towards their economic, social and cultural progress and about the efforts of the international community to achieve international social justice and economic develop ment, international peace and security with the promotion of disarmament and the progressive elimination of inter national inequities and tensions; and the promotion of human rights and fundamental freedoms and the right of peoples to self-determination; such dissemination being aimed at achieving a more comprehensive and realistic image of the activities and potential of the United Nations system in all its purposes and endeavours;

Urges the Department of Public Information to give the widest possible dissemination of information pertain ing to the observance of the twenty-fifth anniversary of the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples with a view to strengthening inter national commitment to the total eradication of colonial ism in all its forms;

Urges the Department of Public Information to strengthen its co-operation with the Non-Aligned News Agencies Pool and in particular to ensure that its daily dis patches are received by the United Nations Office at Geneva and United Nations Headquarters in New York;

Requests the Department of Public Information to continue its follow-up programmes in further implementa tion of those parts relevant to public information of the Paris Declaration on Namibia and the Programme of Action on Namibia, adopted by the International Confer ence in Support of the Struggle of the Namibian People for lndependence,3 1 as well as of the Bangkok Declaration and Programme of Action on Namibia,32 and to report thereon to the Committee on Information at its substantive session in 1985;

Requests the Department of Public Information to cover adequately policies and practices which violate the principles of international law relative to belligerent occu pation, in particular the Geneva Convention relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War, of 1 2 August 1949,38 wherever they occur, especially those poli cies and practices which frustrate the attainment and exer cise of the inalienable and national legitimate rights of the Palestinian people in accordance with the relevant resolu tions of the United Nations, and to report thereon to the Committee on Information at its substantive session in 1985;

Reiterates the recommendation contained in its resolution 35/20 I of 16 December 1980 that additional resources for the Department of Public Information should be commensurate with the increase in the activities of the United Nations which the Department is called upon to cover for the purpose of public information, and that the Secretary-General should provide such resources to the Department to this end where needed;

I I . lJ,eaffirms 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 Department of Public Information to consider the recommendations contained in the report of the Joint Inspection Unit on publications policy and practice in the United Nations system34 and to report to the Committee on Information at its substantive session in 1985;

1 2. Decides to increase the membership of the Com mittee on Information from sixty-seven to sixty-nine and appoints China and Mexico as new members;39 1 3. Requests the Secretary-General to report to the Committee on Information, at its substantive session in 1 985, on the implementation of all the recommendations contained in the Committee's report and annexed to the present resolution;

1 4. Requests the Secretary-General to consider the proposals of the Governments of Benin and Poland on the opening of United Nations information centres, in the light of recommendation 37 of the Committee on Infor mation and of the criteria established in General Assembly resolution 38/82 B, al)d to report to the General Assembly at its fortieth session;

1 5. Also requests the Secretary-General to report to the General Assembly at its fortieth session on the implemen tation of the present resolution and, in particular, on the implementation of all the recommendations contained in the annex to the present resolution;

1 6. Requests the Committee on Information to report to the General Assembly at its fortieth session;

I 7. Decides to include in the provisional agenda of its fortieth session the item entitled "Questions relating to information".

B

24 Resolution 2 I 7 A (Ill).

'9 United Nations I.durational. Scientific and Cultural Organllation. 25 Resolution 2200 A (XX!), annex.

Rei ·ordj of thr Genera Confcrrnn', Tv..·cnllcth Session. vol. I, Rcsolurwm. 26See A/381132-S/15675 and Corr.I and 2. annex. sect. I, para 1'3.

pp. 100-104 111 Resolution 11 71. 27 See A/341542, annex. sect I para, 28(1 >cJq 28 A:39; 139-S. \6,1:10. annl'\

IV.

31 See Report of the International Conference 1n Support of the Struggle of the Namibian People for Independence, Paris, 25-29 April 1983 (Al CONF.120/ l 3 ), part three. 32 Official Records of the General Assembly, Th,rty-nmth Sesswn, Supple ment No. 24 (A/39/24), chap. III, sect. B. 33 Report of the International Conference on the Question of Pa/e.wne, Geneva, 29 August-7 September 1983 /United Nations publication, Sales No. E.83.1.21). chap. I. sect B. 34 Sec A 39/239. 35 Official Records of the General 4ssemNr. Thmv-ninth Session, Supple ment No. 21 (A/39/21 ). 36 A/391479.

i: A139 497, annex

ANNEX

Recommendations of the Committee on Information

The recommendations of the Committee on Information approved by the General Assembly in its resolution 38/82 B of 1 5 December 1 983,

as well as all provisions of the resolution, should be reiterated, taking into account the views expressed by delegations at the 98th plenary meeting of the thirty-eighth session of the Assembly on 15 December 1983. Those rec ommendations should be implemented in full, and the Secretary-General should be requested to report to the Committee on Information at its sub stantive session in 1 985 on measures taken for the implementation of those recommendations and provisions pending implementation.

The mandate of the Committee on Information should be renewed as set forth in General Assembly resolution 34/182 of 1 8 December 1 979 and reaffirmed in Assembly resolutions 35/201 of 16 December 1980, 36/ 1 49 of 16 December 1 98 1 , 37/94 B of 10 December 1982 and 38/82 B of 1 5 December 1 983.

PROMOTION OF THE ESTABLISHMENT OF A NEW, MORE JUST AND MORE EFFECTIVE WORLD INFORMATION AND COMMU NICATION ORDER INTENDED TO STRENGTHEN PEACE AND INTERNATIONAL UNDERSTANDING AND BASED ON THE FREE C'IRCULA TION AND WIDER AND BETTER BALANCED DISSEMI NATION OF INFORMATION

.l.

All countries, the United Nations system as a whole, and all others

concerned, should collaborate in the establishment of a new world infor-

38 United Nations, Treaty Series, vol. 75, No. 973, p. 287.

Ivory Coast, Japan, Jordan, Kenya, Lebanon, Mexico, Mongolia, Morocco, 39 As a result of the above appointments, the Committee on Information is Netherlands, Niger, Nigeria, Pakistan, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, composed of the following Member States: Algeria, Argentina, Bangladesh,

Romania, Singapore, Somalia, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Syrian Arab Repub Belgium, Benin, Brazil, Bulgaria, Burundi, Chile, China, Colombia, Congo,

lic. Togo, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Costa Rica, Cuba, Cyprus, Denmark, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Ethiopia,

Republic, Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, United Kingdom of Great Finland, France, German Democratic Republic, Germany. Federal Republic Britain and Northern Ireland, United Republic of Tanzania, United States of of, Ghana, Greece, Guatemala, Guinea, Ciuyana. India. Indonesia, Italy,

Amenca. Venezuela, Viet "<am, Yemen, Yugoslavia and Z.aire.

mation and communication order based, inter alia, on the free circulation, and wider and better balanced dissemination of information, guaranteeing the diversity of sources of information and free access to information, and, in particular, the urgent need to change the dependent status of the devel oping countries in the field of information and communication, as the prin ciple of sovereign equality among nations extends also to this field, and intended also to strengthen peace and international understanding, ena bling all persons to participate effectively in political, economic, social and cultural life, and promoting understanding and friendship among all nations and human rights.

The United Nations system should reiterate its appeal to the interna tional media and increase its efforts for action by the international commu nity towards global development and, in particular, the efforts of the devel oping countries to achieve economic, social and cultural progress.

Under the current international climate of political conflicts and eco nomic disorders, the Committee on Information, fully aware and cognizant of the important contribution that the mass media world-wide can make in enhancing and strengthening peace, deepening international understanding, promoting justice, equality, national independence, development, the exer cise of human rights and the establishment of a new world information and communication order, recommends that the General Assembly appeal to the mass media to respond in a positive way to opportunities available to them in this field, in order to open new vistas of progress for the world community.

Aware of the existence of structural imbalances in the international distribution of news affecting the two-way flow of news, the Committee on Information recommends that urgent attention should be given to the elimination of existing inequalities and all other obstacles in the free flow and wider and better balanced dissemination of information, ideas and knowledge, by inter alia, diversifying the sources of information as a step toward free and more balanced information and the promotion of the establishment of a new world information and communication order.

The Committee on Information recommends that the need be stressed to ensure and promote the access of the developing countries to communication technology including communication satellites, modem electronic information systems, informatics and other advanced informa tion and communication facilities with a view to improving their own information and communication systems corresponding to the specific conditions prevailing in each country.

The Committee on Information, expressing its satisfaction with the successful co-ordination and co-operation displayed by the Department of Public Information of the Secretariat with the Non-Aligned News Agencies Pool, as well as with news agencies of other developing and developed countries, and convinced that such efforts have contributed significantly to progress towards a new world information and communication order, rec ommends that the Department of Public Information strengthen its co operation with the Pool and with the agencies of developing countries as this co-operation constitutes a concrete step towards a more just and equi table flow of information thus contributing to the establishment of a new world information and communication order.

The Committee on Information, while recognizing the importance of the co-ordination and co-operation between the Department of Public Information, the United Nations Development Programme, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization and its Interna tional Programme for the Development of Communication in the promo tion of the establishment of a new world information and communication order, recommends that the Secretary-General should be requested to pre pare a consolidated study, within existing resources, on the contributions, effects and levels of co-ordination between those organizations and the International Telecommunication Union in support of the development of information and communication infrastructure and systems in the devel oping countries for submission to the Committee on Information at its substantive session in 1985.

The United Nations system as a whole as well as the developed countries should be urged to co-operate in a concerted manner with the developing countries towards strengthening the information and communi cation infrastructures of the latter countries, in accordance with the priori ties attached to such areas by the developing countries, with a view to ena bling them to develop their own information and communication policies freely and independently and in the light of their history, social values and cultural traditions. In this regard, full support for the International Pro gramme for the Development of Communication which constitutes an important step in the development of these infrastructures, should always be emphasized.

40See United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, Records of the General Conference. Twentv-fint Session, vol. I . Resolutions, sect. Ill.

1 1 1

1 1. The United Nations system should co-operate in a concerted man ner, through its information services, in promoting, as a matter of high pri ority, the development activities of the United Nations and, in particular, the improvement of the conditions of the lives of the people of developing countries.

1 2. The United Nations system should constantly promote the creation of a climate of confidence in relations among States, as a means of casing tension and facilitating the establishment of a new world information and communication order.

1 3. Reaffirming the primary role which the General Assembly is to play in elaborating, co-ordinating and harmonizing United Nations policies and activities in the field of information and recognizing the central and impor tant role of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organ ization in the field of information and communication, the Committee on Information recommends that the United Nations system as a whole and all others concerned should be urged to give that organization adequate support and assistance in the field of information and communication. The Department of Public Information in particular should co-operate more regularly with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, especially at the working level, with a view to maximizing the contributions of the Department to the efforts of that organization in promoting the establishment of a new world information and communica tion order and to disseminating as widely as possible information on the activities of that organization in this respect.

The Secretary-General should be requested to submit to the Gen eral Assembly at its thirty-ninth session information concerning the arrangements for the convening, jointly with the United Nations Educa tional, Scientific and Cultural Organization, of a round table in 1985 on a new world information and communication order.

1 5. The Department of Public Information should be urged to moni tor, as appropriate, important meetings of the Movement of Non-Aligned Countries, as well as of regional intergovernmental organizations devoted to information and communication questions, within existing resources.

The United Nations system, particularly the United Nations Edu cational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, should aim at the provision of all possi hie support and assistance to the developing countries, within existing resources, with due regard to their interests and needs in the field of information and to actions already adopted within the United Nations system, including, in particular:

(a) Assistance to developing countries in training journalists and tech nical personnel and in setting up appropriate educational institutions and research facilities;

(b) The granting of favourable conditions to provide access to devel oping countries to such communication technology as is requisite for the establishment of a national information and communication system and correspondent with the specific situation of the country concerned;

(c) The creation of conditions that will gradually enable the develop ing countries to produce the communication technology suited to their national needs, as well as the necessary programme material, specifically for radio and television broadcasting, by using their own resources;

(d) Assistance in establishing telecommunication links at subregional, regional and interregional levels, especially among developing countries, free from conditions of any kind.

1 7. All the information activities of the Department of Public Informa tion should be guided by, and carried out in conformity with, the principles of the Charter of the United Nations and the aspiration for a new world information and communication order, as well as conform to the consen sus reached among States in resolutions 4119, 4/21 and 4/22 adopted on 27 October I 980 by the General Conference of the United Nations Educa tional, Scientific and Cultural Organization at its twenty-first session.40 I 8.

The role of the Department of Public Information as the focal point for the formulation and implementation of information activities of the United Nations should be re-emphasized, and in this regard the Commit tee on Information recommends that the proliferation of information units in the Secretariat independent of the Department should be discouraged.

The Secretary-General should be requested to ensure that the activ ities of the Department of Public Information, as the focal point of the public information tasks of the United Nations, should be strengthened,

keeping in view the principles of the Charter of the United Nations and along the lines established in the pertinent resolutions of the General Assembly and the recommendations of the Committee on Information, to ensure a more coherent coverage of and a better knowledge about the United Nations and its work. especially in its priority areas, such as those

stated in section III, paragraph I , of Assembly resolution 35/201, includ ing international peace and security, disarmament, peace-keeping and peace-making operations, decolonization, the promotion of human rights, the struggle against apartheid and racial discrimination, economic, social and development issues, the integration of women in the struggle for peace and development, the establishment of the new international economic order and of a new world information and communication order, the work of the United Nations Council for Namibia and programmes on women and youth.

The final documents of the Conference of the Ministers of Informa tion of the Non-Aligned Countries, held at Jakarta from 26 to 30 January 1 984, 28 should be noted.

2 1 . The Department of Public Information should maintain editorial independence and accuracy in reporting for all material produced by the Department and should promote to the greatest possible extent an informed understanding of the work and purposes of the United Nations among the people of the world. It should take the necessary measures to ensure that its output contains objective and equitable information about issues before the Organization, reflecting divergent opinions where they occur.

The resolution adopted at the Conference of the Ministers of Infor mation and Communication of the countries acting as centres ofredistribu tion of the Non-Aligned News Agencies Pool, meeting in Cairo on 9 and IO May 1984, on the establishment and consolidation of an information net work for news and broadcasting agencies of the Movement of Non-Aligned Countries should also be noted.

The relevant resolution on the question relating to information of the Fourth Islamic Summit Conference, held at Casablanca from 16 to I 9 January 1984,41 should be noted.

CONTINUATION OF EXAMINATION OF UNITED NATIONS PUBLIC INFORMATION POLICIES AND ACTIVITIES IN THE LIGHT OF THE EVOLUTION OF INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS, PARTICU LARLY DURING THE PAST TWO DECADES, AND OF THE IMPER ATIVES OF THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE NEW INTERNA TIONAL ECONOMIC ORDER AND OF A NEW WORLD INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION ORDER

In connection with the forthcoming celebration of the fortieth anni versary of the creation of the United Nations, the Department of Public Information should be urged to give appropriate support to the Preparatory Committee for the Fortieth Anniversary of the United Nations in promot ing and publicizing the noble goals and accomplishments of the United Nations as a major forum for pooling efforts of States to contribute to the solution of vital world problems.

The Department of Public Information should continue to ensure that the daily dispatches of the Non-Aligned News Agencies Pool that it receives are appropriately utilized in the performance of the public infor mation tasks of the United Nations:

(a) With a view to further promotion and development of a functional and mutually beneficial co-operation between the Department and the Pool, the existing arrangements in the Department for the conduct of this co-operation should be established on a more regular basis;

(b) In view of the successful joint coverage by the Pool of important conferences and other events within the United Nations system, this prac tice should be continued and further strengthened;

(c) The Department should consider the possibility of utilizing the dis patches received from the Pool to establish a data base on the information and communication facilities in the non-aligned countries.

In connection with its annual training programme for journalists and broadcasters from developing countries, the Department of Public Information should allocate the last week of the programme for a visit by them to one of the developing countries that expresses readiness to receive them for the purpose of acquainting themselves with the ways in which information on the United Nations is received and utilized.

The interim report of the International Telecommunication Union on the World Communications Year42 should be noted and the Secretary General should be requested to make available to the Committee on Infor mation at its substantive session in 1985 a comprehensive report on the outcome of the activities of the International Telecommunication Union with regard to the Year.

The exchange of information between the Committee on Informa tion and the Commission on Transnational Corporations in matters per taining to the mandate of the Committee should again be encouraged.

41 N39/l 3 l -S/1 6414 and Corr. I , annex II, resolution 1 5/4-P(IS). 42 See NAC. 198179. 43 A/ AC. I 98173.

The report of the Secretary-General on the acquisition by the United Nations of its own communications satellite43 should be noted. The Secretary-General should be requested to submit to the Committee on Information at its substantive session in 1985 a complementary report on the acquisition of a United Nations communications satellite. in compli ance with recommendation 36 made by the Committee to the General Assembly at its thirty-seventh session. 44

The attention of the pertinent organs of the General Assembly and of the United Nations system as a whole should be drawn to the findings of the International Telecommunication Union set forth in its interim report,42 especially as concerns the problem of the geostationary orbit reflected, inter a/ia, in paragraphs 33 and 49 of that report, taking into account the needs of the developing countries.

3 1 . With regard to its co-operation with the Non-Aligned News Agen cies Pool as well as with the regional news agencies in developing countries, the Department of Public Information should co-operate, as appropriate. with the United Nations Educational. Scientific and Cultural Organization in assisting that organization, within existing resources. in the following activities:

(a) In the preparation and implementation of a plan of integrated communication network and regional data and communication centres:

(h) In providing facilities for meetings on data and communication exchange of the public information bodies of the non-aligned countries;

(c) In the preparation for observance of 1 985 as the Year of Commu nication for information bodies in the non-aligned countries.

The Department of Public Information should closely co-operate with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization and the Non-Aligned News Agencies Pool to organize a workshop, within existing resources, in 1985 for familiarization of news agencies of develop ing countries with modem technology of relevance to news agencies, and for the standardization of teaching methods and syllabuses and to produce training manuals in various languages for the training centres of the Pool.

.B. The Secretary-General should be requested once again to maintain the functions of the Middle EasVArabic Unit as the producer of Arabic tel evision and radio programmes, and to strengthen and expand this unit to enable it to function in an effective manner. and to report to the Commit tee on Information at its substantive session in 1 985 on the measures taken in implementation of this recommendation.

In view of the importance of United Nations broadcasting for the European region, steps should be taken to maintain and enhance the func tions of the European Unit in the Radio Service through redeployment of existing resources.

The Department of Public Information should be requested to use the official General Assembly languages adequately in its documents and audio-visual documentation in order to inform the public better about the activities of the United Nations. It should also make available to the French Language Production Section of the Press and Publications Divi sion of the Department, within existing resources, the means that will allow 11 to distribute consistent press releases in sufficient quantity to satisfy the needs of numerous delegations that use French as a working language.

Effective steps should be taken to ensure that the United Nations information centres give adequate services in local languages. Such steps are to be taken within existing resources. The Committee on Information should be informed about the implementation of this recommendation at ,ts substantive session in I 985.

.17. The Secretary-General may be requested to consider the proposals of the Governments of Benin and Poland on the opening of United Nations information centres in their respective countries in the light of cri teria established in General Assembly resolution 38/82 B, through the redeployment of resources, and to repon to the General Assembly at ,ts thiny-ninth session.

United Nations information centres should continue to assist press and information media in their respective countries, and, inter alia, pro mote the establishment of a new world information and communication order.

While the co-operation between the Department of Public Infor mation and the United Nations Development Programme in the field should be promoted to the maximum extent, it is also important to bear in mind the intrinsic functions of United Nations information centres as dis tinct from those of the United Nations development activities. The infor mation centres should redouble their efforts to publicize the activities and achievements of operational activities for development. including those of

44 See Otfic1a/ Record., of the General Ass,•mhl_i·. 1'h1r11·-sc1·enth Sc.\'.11011. \'upp/ement .Vo :> J (A',-, 12 I and Corr. I ). sect. IV

the l 1111kd ˍations Development Programme. taking mlo account the pn onties determined by the (;eneral Assembly

The report of the Secretary-General concerning measures to improve the effectiveness of United Nations information centres4 1 should be nuted and the Secretary-(irneral should be encouraged to implement his proposals. within the existing resources allocated l" the Department or Public Information 4 1 f"he Depa11rncnt ol Public Information should focus ,,n and give wider coverage lo the economic. social and development activities throughout the United Nations system aimed at achieving a more compre hensive image of the activities and potential of the United Nations system.

taking into account the priorities set by the General Assembly, particularly in the light of the forthcoming fortieth anniversary or the United Nations.

The Department of Pubhc lnformat,on should promote an informed understanding of the work of the United Nations in the area delineated in General Assembl) resolut1ons 34, 1 46 of 1 7 December 1 979. 31,,109 or 10 December 1 98 1 , 37/1 08 of 16 Decemher 1 98ˎ and 38/ I J0 and .18/ Ll6 of 1 9 December 1 983

Pending the possible acquisition hy the llnited Nations of its own short-wave radio network and taking into account the studv earned out by the Department or Pubhc lnforma!Ion on this subJect.40 the Secretary (ieneral should be requested lo report on the question raised in the docu ment in the study. and to mform the ( ommiltee on Information on the working of such a system and to submit an evaluation report on dail ) short- wave radio broadcast<; from Headquarters.

The United Nations information centres should intensify direct and systematic communication exchange with local informa110n and edu cational communities m a mutually beneficial way, especially in areas of particular interest to host countries.

The Secretary-General should continue his efforts to develop a sys tem l<ir monitonng and evaluating the effectiveness of the activities of the Department of Public InformatIOn, particularly rn the pnorit, areas deter mined hy the General Assembly

The Department nf Public Information should improve, within existing resources, its data-collection procedures with regard to the actual use made hy rcdisseminators of materials distributed by the Department and ,ts information centres and submit a report to the Commiltee on Infor mation al ,ts substantive session in 1 985 on progress made in thIS area.

Future reports of the Department of Public Information to the ( ·ommiltee on Information and to the General Assembly, in particular on new prograrnmes or on the expansion of existing programmes, should ron lam· (al More adequate informalIOn on the ,,utput of the Department in respect of each topic included in its work programme. which forms the basis of 1ls programme budget:

(/,) The costs or the activities undertaken in respect of each topic:

(c) More adequate information on target audiences. end-use of the Department's products. and analysis of feedback data received by the Department:

(d) The Department's evaluation ol the eflectiveness of its difterenl programmes and activities:

(e) A statement detailing the pnority level that the Secretary-General has altached to current or future activities of the Department m documents dealing with such activities.

The Secretary-General should he requested to strengthen the Plan ning. Programming and Evaluation Unit of the Department of Puhhc Information through the redeployment of existing resources.

fhe steps taken by the Department of Public Information in redressing the imbalance in its staff should be noted. The Department should continue lo intensify its efforts lo that end and the Secretary-Gen eral should be requested lo take urgent steps to increase the representation of underrepresented developing countries, and of other underrepresented groups of countries. especially at the senior levels, in conformity with the relevant provisions of Charter of the United Nat10ns. and to submit a report to the Committee on Information al its substantive session in 1 985.

Member States should be called upon once again to make voluntary rontributions lo the United Nations Trust Fund for Economic and Social Information.

5 I . Quality, usefulness and coverage of the daily press release and the weekly news summary issued by the Department of Public Information in all working languages should be further enhanced and improved in view of the important public information tasks that they can perform. Services provided at the Press Section of the Department both for the media and

41 A A< 1 98 7 5 40 A Af " I 98/74 I\'. __!{e©l_ut_ions adopted on the reports of the Special Political Com_m_i_tt_e_e _______ _____ l_1_3

the delegat,ons should be further improved. The Department should con llnuc to rn-operate closely "Ith and provide assistance to the United Nations < ·orrespondents Association.

The Department of Public Information should review, and report thereon lo the Committee on Information at its substantive session in 1 985. the present system of charging the Member States and the media for video tapes. audio tapes and news photographs of important United Nallons events such as General Assembly and Security Council debates with a view to reducing the present prohibitive costs of those materials so as lo enahle the media in the Member States, particularly in the develnping rountnes. to give wider publicity to such events.

5 1 The interim report of the Secretary-General entitled "The Depart ment of Public Information as the Focal Point for the Formulation and Implementation of Information Activities of the United Nations"47 should be noted and the Secretary-General should be requested to submit his final report on the subject to the General Assembly at its thirty-ninth session.

54 The operations of the Non-Governmental Liaison Services l(ieneva and New York) as inter-agency projects on international develop ment ISsues reaching specific target audiences in the industrialized coun lnes should be continued on a stable financial basis through the United Nations participation in those services. The Secretary-General should be requested once again to urge all the specialized agencies to make long-term contribut1ons lo the financing of those services. thereby stressing their inter-agency character.

,5 !'he Joint United Nations Information Committee, as the essential instrument for inter-agency co-ordination and co-operation in the field of pubhc information, should be further strengthened and given more respon S1b1hty for the public information activities of the entire United Nations syˏtem .56. Smee Development Forum is the only inter-agency publication of the I Jnitcd Nations system that concentrates on development issues, the Secretar; -General should, while continuing his efforts to secure a sound and independent financial basIS for the periodical, make such arrangements through the regular budget as necessary to ensure its continued publication. All the specialized agencies and other organizations of the United Nations system should be urged to contribute to the financing of this system-wide puhlication. thereby recognmng its inter-agency character.

, 7.

The Secretary-General should continue to ensure that Development Forum retains its editorial policy of intellectual independence. thus ena bling thIS publicatIOn to continue lo serve as a world-wide forum in which di verse opinions on issues related to economic and social development can he freely expressed.

The Secretary-General should be encouraged to continue and inten sify his efforts to explore all possibilities outside the regular budget of the lJ mted Nations of securing the adequate resources for the continuation of the World Newspaper Supplement proJect.

The World Disarmament Campaign should give full consideration to the role of mass media as the most effective way to promote in world pubhc opinion a climate of understanding, confidence and co-operation conducive to peace and disarmament, the enhancement of human rights and development. Within the World Disarmament Campaign and Dis armament Week, the Department of Public Information should fulfil the role assigned to it by the General Assembly by utilizing its expertise and resources in public informat10n to ensure its maximum effectiveness.

4' A. AC. I 98182.

1 14

48 See A/36/534, annex II.

49 See United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, Records of the General Conference. Fmmh E,traordinarv Session, vol I and corrigendum, Resolutions. sect. II

50 See N39/497, annex, paras. 48-54. 5 I See A/ AC. I 98170. 52 Offinal Records of the Cimera/ Assemh!r. Thirt1·-n1n1h Sessu,n, Supple ment No. 13 (A/39/1 3).

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ASSISTANCE TC PALESTINE REFUGEES

" ːcc A 19·455. annex

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