Questions relating to information
A/RES/72/90 A-B
Reaffirming its resolution 13 (I) of 13 February 1946, by which the General
Assembly established the Department of Public Information, with a view to
promoting to the greatest possible extent an informed understanding of the work and
purposes of the United Nations among the peoples of the world, and all other relevant
resolutions of the Assembly related to the activities of the Department,
Emphasizing that the contents of public information and communications should
be placed at the heart of the strategic management of the United Nations and that a
culture of communications and transparency should permeate all levels of the
Organization as a means of fully informing the peoples of the world of the aims and
activities of the United Nations, in accordance with the purposes and principles
enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations, in order to create broad-based global
support for the United Nations,
Stressing that the primary mission of the Department of Public Information is
to provide, through its outreach activities, accurate, impartial, comprehensive,
balanced, timely, relevant and multilingual information to the public on the tasks and
responsibilities of the United Nations in order to strengthen international support for
the activities of the Organization with the greatest transparency,
Recalling its resolutions 71/101 A and B of 6 December 2016, which provided
an opportunity to take due steps to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of the
Department of Public Information and to maximize the use of its resources,
Expressing its concern that the gap in information and communications
technology between the developed and the developing countries has continued to
widen and that vast segments of the population in developing countries are not
benefiting from the information and communications technologies that are currently
available, and in this regard underlining the necessity of rectifying the imbalances in
the present development of and access to information and communications
technologies in order to create a more just, equitable, accessible and effective
environment in this regard,
Recognizing that developments in information and communications technologies
open vast new opportunities for economic growth and social development and can
play an important role in the eradication of poverty in developing countries, and at
the same time emphasizing that the development of these technologies poses
challenges and risks and could lead to the further widening of disparities between and
within countries,
Recalling its resolution 69/324 of 11 September 2015 on multilingualism, and
emphasizing the importance of making appropriate use of all the official languages
of the United Nations in all the activities of the Department of Pu blic Information,
including in coordination with other departments of the Secretariat, with the aim of
eliminating the disparity between the use of English and the use of the five other
official languages, as well as the importance of ensuring the full and equitable
treatment of all the official languages of the United Nations in all the activities of the
Department,
I
Introduction
1.
Requests the Secretary-General, in respect of the public information
policies and activities of the United Nations, to continue to implement fully the
recommendations contained in relevant resolutions;
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