A/RES/57/130 A-B Recognizing that developments in the information and communication technology revolution 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 it also poses challenges and risks and could lead to the further widening of disparities between and within countries, Stating that the present developments and rapid changes in the field of information and communication technology have a tremendous impact on the functioning of the United Nations and the Department of Public Information in particular, which may necessitate suitable adjustments in the manner in which the mandate of the Department is implemented, as a key element in the reform and revitalization of the United Nations in a new information age, Recognizing that the mix of means used by the Department of Public Information to disseminate its message remains a key area for review and, in this regard, that the Department should rely on reaching the public through existing external media to a greater degree than at present, Recalling its resolution 56/262 of 15 February 2002 on multilingualism, and emphasizing the importance of making appropriate use of the official languages of the United Nations in the activities of the Department of Public Information, aiming to eliminate the disparity between the use of English and the other five official languages, Welcoming Azerbaijan and Monaco to membership in the Committee on Information, I Introduction 1. Reaffirms its resolution 13 (I), in which it established the Department of Public Information, and all other relevant General Assembly resolutions related to the activities of the Department; 2. 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; 3. Emphasizes the importance of the medium-term plan for the period 2002–2005 as a guideline that sets out the overall orientation of the public information programme for the Organization’s goals through effective communication; 4. Welcomes the efforts of the Secretary-General to conduct a comprehensive review of the management and operations of the Department of Public Information and to report thereon to the General Assembly at its fifty-seventh session, and encourages the Secretary-General to submit wide-ranging innovative proposals for the Department that should take into account the issue raised in the current resolution; 5. Requests the Department of Public Information, following the priorities laid down by the General Assembly and using the United Nations Millennium 4