A/RES/56/64 Stating that the Secretary-General should continue to enhance the effectiveness of the activities of the Department of Public Information, Welcoming Armenia and the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya to membership in the Committee on Information, I Introduction 1. Reaffirms its resolution 13 (I) of 13 February 1946, in which it established the Department of Public Information of the Secretariat, 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 approved by the General Assembly in its resolution 55/234 of 23 December 2000, 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 United Nations Millennium Declaration, 4 the ministerial declaration adopted by the Economic and Social Council at the high-level segment of its substantive session of 2000 5 and the Secretary-General’s millennium report, 6 which indicate clearly that there is a great amount of hope and concern in the field of information and communications; 5. Calls upon States, in accordance with their laws, to make every effort to prevent the use of the traditional media and new information and communication technologies that undermine legitimate Governments and democracy, fan ethnic strife and xenophobia, incite hatred and violence and contribute to any manifestations of extremism; 6. 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; II General activities of the Department of Public Information 7. Reaffirms that the Department of Public Information is the focal point for information policies of the United Nations and the primary news centre for information about the United Nations and its activities and those of the SecretaryGeneral; _______________ 4 See. resolution 55/2. See Official Records of the General Assembly, Fifty-fifth Session, Supplement No. 3 (A/55/3/Rev.1), chap. III, para. 17. 6 A/54/2000. 5 4