United Nations Public Information Policies and Activities

A/RES/55/136[B]View PDF

Who adopted this document and its mandates?

A Resolution of the General Assembly, under agenda item 87 Questions relating to information, published in 2001.

What other versions does this mandate have?

25 versions · 1976–2018

This is an older version — the most recent is A/RES/73/102[B]

Year	Symbol	Title	Word length	Text similarity
2018	A/RES/73/102[B]	United Nations public information policies and activities	—	—
2017	A/RES/72/90 [B]	United Nations public information policies and activities	—	—
2016	A/RES/71/101 [B]	United Nations public information policies and activities	—	—
2015	A/RES/70/93[B]	United Nations public information policies and activities	—	—
2014	A/RES/69/96[B]	United Nations public information policies and activities	—	—

Which reports were submitted under this mandate?

44 reports · 2002–2019

Year	Symbol	Title	Mandate resolution
2019	A/74/283	Questions relating to information report of the Secretary-General	A/RES/73/102[B]
2019	A/AC.198/2019/2	Activities of the Department of Global Communications strategic communications services : report of the Secretary-General	A/RES/73/102[B]
2019	A/AC.198/2019/3	Activities of the Department of Global Communications news services : report of the Secretary-General	A/RES/73/102[B]
2019	A/AC.198/2019/4	Activities of the Department of Global Communications outreach and knowledge services : report of the Secretary-General	A/RES/73/102[B]
2018	A/73/288	Questions relating to information report of the Secretary-General	A/RES/72/90 [B]

What subjects does this mandate have?

17 subjects

Communication Technology Digital Libraries Educational Institutions Guided Tours Guidelines Information Centres Information Dissemination Information Policy Information Services Information Technology Official Languages Peacekeeping Operations Press Releases Public Information Publications Technical Cooperation Websites

What’s in this document?

59 operative paragraphs

A/RES/55/136 [B]

B

Reaffirms its resolution 13 (I) of 13 February 1946, in which it established the Department of Public Information of the Secretariat;

Expresses its concern that the gap in the information and communication technologies between the developed and the developing countries has continued to widen and that most developing countries are not benefiting from the present information and technology revolution, and, in this regard, underlines the necessity of rectifying the imbalances of the global information and technology revolution in order to make it more just, equitable and effective;

Welcomes Liberia and Mozambique to membership in the Committee on Information;

Calls upon the Secretary-General, in respect of the public information policies and activities of the United Nations, to continue to implement fully the recommendations contained in paragraph 2 of its resolution 48/44 B of 10 December 1993 and other mandates as established by the General Assembly;

Takes note of the report of the Secretary-General on the reorientation of United Nations activities in the field of public information and communications,⁵ and encourages him to continue the reorientation exercise, while stressing the need to take into account the views of Member States, and requests him to report thereon to the Committee on Information at its twenty-third session;

⁵A/AC.198/2000/2.

Welcomes the initiatives that have been taken by the Department of Public Information to strengthen the public information system of the United Nations, and, in this regard, stresses the importance of a coherent and results-oriented approach being undertaken by the United Nations, the specialized agencies and the programmes and funds of the United Nations system involved in public information activities and the provision of resources for their implementation;

Emphasizes that, through its reorientation, the Department of Public Information should maintain and improve its activities in the areas of special interest to developing countries and, where appropriate, other countries with special needs, including countries in transition, and that such reorientation should contribute to bridging the existing gap between the developing and the developed countries in the crucial field of public information and communications;

Takes note of the note by the Secretary-General⁶ on programme 23 (Public information) of the proposed medium-term plan for the period 2002-2005, and, emphasizing that the implementation of the broad objectives outlined in the proposal should be in accordance with the objectives set forth in relevant General Assembly resolutions regarding questions relating to information, requests the Secretary-General to proceed with the submission of the proposal to the Committee for Programme and Coordination for consideration, taking into account the amendments made by the Committee on Information at its twenty-second session, in accordance with section I of Assembly resolution 53/207 of 18 December 1998;

⁶A/AC.198/2000/8.

Requests the Secretary-General to focus, in particular, on educational institutions as key and indispensable partners of the United Nations in its efforts fully to inform the peoples of the world of its aims and activities;

Encourages the Secretary-General to strengthen further consultative arrangements between the Department of Public Information and other substantive departments of the Secretariat, in particular those dealing with development issues;

Reaffirms that United Nations information centres should continue to publicize United Nations activities and accomplishments in the areas of economic and social development, poverty eradication, debt relief, health, education, elimination of illiteracy, women’s rights, children’s rights, the plight of children in armed conflict, the sexual exploitation of children, the eradication of drug trafficking and environmental issues, as well as other issues of relevance;

Welcomes the contribution of the Department of Public Information to the efforts of the Secretary-General in closing the digital divide as a means of spurring economic growth and as a response to the continuing gulf between developed and developing countries, and, in this context, requests the Department further to enhance its role;

Recalls its resolution 54/113 of 10 December 1999 concerning the proclamation of 2001 as the United Nations Year of Dialogue among Civilizations, and encourages the Secretary-General to strengthen the public information capacity of the Department of Public Information with a view to disseminating information on and drawing international attention to the dialogue among civilizations and the impact it could have on promoting mutual understanding, tolerance, peaceful coexistence and international cooperation;

Welcomes the decision taken by the Department of Public Information to launch a new web site to publicize the United Nations Year of Dialogue among Civilizations, and requests the Secretary-General to continue to implement the promotional campaign to ensure that the Year enjoys the broadest international support and to report thereon and also on all follow-up activities in this respect to the Committee on Information at its twenty-third session;

Recalls its resolutions 53/202 of 17 December 1998 and 54/254 of 15 March 2000, concerning the designation of the fifty-fifth session of the General Assembly as the Millennium Assembly of the United Nations and the convening, as an integral part of the Millennium Assembly, of the Millennium Summit of the United Nations, takes note of the report of the Secretary-General on the millennium promotional campaign,⁷ and encourages him to continue to implement effective public information programmes in this regard so as to ensure that the outcome of the Summit is widely disseminated and enjoys broad international support;

⁷A/AC.198/2000/10.

Appreciates and encourages the efforts of the Department of Public Information in disseminating information to Member States regarding the promotion of women ‘s rights and gender equality;

Takes note with appreciation of the efforts of the Secretary-General to strengthen the public information capacity of the Department of Public Information for the formation and day-to-day functioning of the information components of peacekeeping and other field operations of the United Nations, and requests the Secretariat to continue to ensure the involvement of the Department from the planning stage of such future operations through interdepartmental consultations and coordination with other substantive departments of the Secretariat;

Stresses the importance of enhancing the public information capacity of the Department of Public Information in the field of peacekeeping operations and its role in the selection process of spokespersons for United Nations peacekeeping operations or missions, and, in this regard, encourages the Department to second spokespersons who have the necessary skills for fulfilling the tasks of the operations or missions;

Emphasizes that all publications of the Department of Public Information, in accordance with existing mandates, should fulfil an identifiable need, should not duplicate other publications of the United Nations system and should be produced in a cost-effective manner;

Takes note of the continuing efforts of the Secretary-General to make the Dag Hammarskjöld Library a virtual library with world outreach, making United Nations information and other acquired materials accessible electronically to a growing number of readers and users, and, at the same time, requests him to enrich the stock of books and journals in the Library, including publications on peace and security and development-related issues, to ensure that it continues to be a broadly accessible resource for information about the United Nations and its activities;

Welcomes the development of the United Nations News Service by the Department of Public Information, and requests the Secretary-General to continue to exert all efforts to ensure that publications and other information services of the Secretariat, including the United Nations web site and the United Nations News Service, contain comprehensive, objective and equitable information about the issues before the Organization and that they maintain editorial independence, impartiality, accuracy and full consistency with resolutions and decisions of the General Assembly;

Takes note of the efforts of the Secretary-General in ensuring access for the representatives of Member States to the briefings organized at Headquarters by the Office of the Spokesman for the Secretary-General and in ensuring wider outreach of the outcome of such briefings, and requests him to consider taking further measures in this regard;

Requests the Secretary-General to ensure that information presented to the media is made available to delegations fully and in a timely fashion;

Reaffirms the importance attached by Member States to the role of United Nations information centres and information components in effectively and comprehensively disseminating information in all parts of the world, in particular in developing countries and countries in transition, and especially in those countries where there is need for a better understanding of United Nations activities;

Also reaffirms the importance of all United Nations information centres meeting the primary objectives outlined by the Committee on Information in its report on its ninth session;⁸

⁸Official Records of the General Assembly, Forty-second Session, Supplement No. 21 (A/42/21), sect. III.D.

Emphasizes that resources should be commensurate with the mandated programmes and activities of the United Nations information centres to ensure their full and effective implementation, expresses deep disappointment at the reduction of more than 40 per cent in the staffing of the information centres between the early and closing years of the last decade, and, in this context, acknowledges the generous contributions by several host Governments, as well as the partnership with the United Nations Development Programme and other United Nations system and local partners, to maintain the present level of operations of the information centres;

Takes note of the reports of the Secretary-General on the United Nations information centres⁹ and requests him to continue, if feasible and on a case-by-case basis, the integration policy in a cost-effective manner, taking into account the views of the host countries to ensure that the information functions and the autonomy of United Nations information centres are not adversely affected, to meet the policy’s stated objective of improving the provision of information by the United Nations, and, in this regard, requests him to continue his efforts to address the problems that affect the centres;

⁹A/AC.198/2000/3-A/AC.198/2000/5.

Also takes note of the report of the Secretary-General on the integration of United Nations information centres with field offices of the United Nations Development Programme,¹⁰ requests him to implement the views and opinions of the host Governments concerned, as expressed in their replies to the questionnaire provided by the Secretariat, and also requests him to report to the Committee on Information at its twenty-third session on the steps taken in this regard;

¹⁰A/AC.198/2000/3.

Further takes note of the report of the Secretary-General on the guidelines for the functioning of the United Nations information centres integrated with the field offices of the United Nations Development Programme;¹¹

¹¹A/AC.198/2000/4.

Reaffirms the role of the General Assembly in relation to the opening of new United Nations information centres, invites the Secretary-General to make such recommendations as he may consider necessary regarding the establishment and location of such centres, and, in this regard, welcomes the requests by Croatia, Gabon, Guinea, Haiti, Jamaica and Kyrgyzstan for information centres or information components;

Stresses the need to revitalize the centres that are currently not operational, for which requests have already been made by the countries concerned;

Recalls its resolution 54/82 B of 6 December 1999, in which it requested the Secretary-General to continue to study ways and means of rationalizing and effecting equitable disbursement of available resources to United Nations information centres, notes with great concern the existing imbalance in the available resources to the information centres in developing and developed countries and that, given the importance of this matter, more information is needed, and requests the Secretary-General to examine the situation thoroughly, taking into account all relevant factors, and to report thereon to the Committee on Information at its twenty-third session;

Requests the Secretary-General to look into the possibility of appointing directors to those United Nations information centres that are not yet integrated and are under the temporary management of offices of the United Nations Development Programme to ensure the autonomous status of the centres;

Welcomes the action taken by some Member States with regard to providing financial and material support to United Nations information centres in their respective capitals, and invites the Secretary-General, through the Department of Public Information, to consult Member States, where appropriate, on the possibility of providing the information centres with additional voluntary support on a national basis, bearing in mind that such support should not be a substitute for the full allocation of financial requirements for the United Nations information centres in the context of the programme budget of the United Nations;

Recognizes the continuing enhanced cooperation between the Department of Public Information and the University for Peace in Costa Rica as a focal point for promoting United Nations activities and disseminating United Nations information materials, and requests the Secretary-General to report on those activities;

Expresses its full support for wide, accurate, equal and prompt coverage of United Nations activities through the continuation and improvement of United Nations press releases, which should bring out the intergovernmental aspect of the Organization’s work and deliberations, stresses the importance of having these press releases issued in all official languages of the United Nations, and requests other relevant bodies of the General Assembly to give due consideration to this matter;

Stresses that radio is one of the most cost-effective and far-reaching media available to the Department of Public Information and an important instrument in United Nations activities, such as development and peacekeeping, in accordance with General Assembly resolution 48/44 B;

Encourages an increase in the number of programmes of United Nations Radio, in all available languages, on the United Nations web site;

Takes note of the efforts under way by the Department of Public Information to disseminate programmes directly to broadcasting stations all over the world in the six official languages, and, in that regard, stresses the need for impartiality and objectivity concerning information activities of the United Nations;

Encourages the Department of Public Information to continue to include in its radio and television programming specific programmes addressing the needs of developing nations;

Requests the Secretary-General to implement fully the recommendations contained in paragraph 9 of General Assembly resolution 38/82 B of 15 December 1983 with regard to the introduction of full programming in French and Creole in the work programme of the Caribbean Unit of United Nations Radio;

Welcomes the progress report of the Secretary-General on the implementation of the pilot project for the development of an international radio broadcasting capacity for the United Nations¹² and the redeployment of the necessary resources for this purpose;

¹²A/AC.198/2000/6.

Requests the Secretary-General to submit to the Committee on Information at its twenty-third session a progress report on the results of the implementation of the pilot project, and declares its intention to examine before the end of 2001 and upon submission by the Secretary-General of his report, the final report on the results of the project with a view to taking a decision on the matter during its fifty-sixth session;

Urges the Secretary-General to maintain and strengthen the managerial capacity, staff resources, programme output and means of delivery of United Nations Radio in the six official languages and, if feasible, in other languages, in order to ensure the success of the radio pilot project and, to this end, enhance coordination with the United Nations News Centre and the United Nations information centres, as well as the cooperation with national and international radio organizations in Member States;

Underlines the continuing importance of using traditional and mass media channels to disseminate information on the United Nations, and encourages the Secretary-General, through the Department of Public Information, to continue to take full advantage of recent developments in information technologies, including the Internet, in order to improve, in a cost-effective manner, the dissemination of information on the United Nations, in accordance with the priorities established by the General Assembly and taking into account the linguistic diversity of the Organization;

Takes note of the efforts by some United Nations information centres to establish their own web pages in local languages, and, in this respect, encourages the Department of Public Information to provide resources and technical facilities, in particular to United Nations information centres whose web pages are not yet operational, to develop web pages in the respective local languages in their host countries;

Encourages the Department of Public Information to continue its efforts to coordinate and rationalize the content of web pages of United Nations information centres using the same language in order to enhance the information services with a view to avoiding overlap and repetition;

Takes note of the report of the Secretary-General on the multilingual development, maintenance and enrichment of United Nations web sites,¹³ encourages the Secretary-General to continue his efforts to develop and enhance the United Nations web sites in all the official languages of the Organization, and requests him to continue to develop proposals for consideration by the Committee on Information at its twenty-third session, keeping in mind the building of modular parity, which should ultimately lead to achieving full parity among the official languages of the United Nations;

¹³A/AC.198/2000/7-A/AC.172/2000/4.

Requests the Secretary-General to include in his report, in accordance with paragraph 48 above, guidelines for content planning and publication on the United Nations web sites;

Stresses the importance of access to the United Nations treaty collection and the United Nations parliamentary documentation for the public, and commends the Secretary-General on his initiative to make parliamentary documentation of the Organization available through the United Nations web site in all the official languages;

Expresses its appreciation to the Department of Public Information for conducting the ongoing programme for broadcasters and journalists from developing countries and countries in transition, and calls for its further expansion so as to include a larger number of trainees from those countries;

Acknowledges the important work carried out by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization and its collaboration with news agencies and broadcasting organizations in developing countries in disseminating information on priority issues;

Requests the Department of Public Information to continue to ensure the greatest possible access for United Nations guided tours and to ensure that displays in public areas are kept as informative, up-to-date, relevant and technologically innovative as possible;

Recalls its resolutions concerning the consequences of the Chernobyl disaster, in particular resolutions 51/138 B of 13 December 1996 and 52/172 of 16 December 1997, and encourages the Department of Public Information, in cooperation with the countries concerned and with the relevant organizations and bodies of the United Nations system, to continue to take appropriate measures to enhance world public awareness of the consequences of that disaster;

Also recalls its resolution 53/1 H of 16 November 1998, concerning international cooperation and coordination for the human and ecological rehabilitation of the Semipalatinsk region of Kazakhstan, which has been affected by nuclear tests, and encourages the Department of Public Information, in cooperation with relevant organizations and bodies of the United Nations system, to take appropriate measures to enhance world public awareness of the problems and needs of the Semipalatinsk region;

Further recalls its resolutions 53/59 B of 3 December 1998 and 54/82 B, and urges the Department of Public Information to take the necessary measures, through the provision of relevant and objective information, towards achieving the major objectives set forth in the report of the Secretary-General on the causes of conflict and the promotion of durable peace and sustainable development in Africa,¹⁴ and to publicize the activities of the open-ended working group established for that purpose;

¹⁴A/52/871-S/1998/318.

Requests the Secretary-General to report to the Committee on Information at its twenty-third session and to the General Assembly at its fifty-sixth session on the activities of the Department of Public Information and on the implementation of the recommendations contained in the present resolution;

Requests the Committee on Information to report to the General Assembly at its fifty-sixth session;

Decides to include in the provisional agenda of its fifty-sixth session the item entitled “Questions relating to information”.

8 Decenber 2000

Official Records of the General Assembly, Fifty-fifth Session, Supplement No 21 (A/55/21).

A/55/452.

See United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, Records of the General Conference, Twenty-first Session, Belgrade, 23 September to 28 October 1980, vol. 1, Resolutions, sect. III.4, resolution 4/21.

Who adopted this document and its mandates?

What other versions does this mandate have?

Which reports were submitted under this mandate?

What subjects does this mandate have?

What’s in this document?

B

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