Mr. Chairman,
I have the honor to speak on behalf of the Member States of the Rio
Group on the twenty -second sessions of
the United Nations Information Committee, and because of a fortunate
coincidence I have the honor to speak
on the on the International Day of Freedom of the Press. Therefore,
I would like to begin by honoring all
journalists, and in particular those who have been victims of personal
or professional attacks. Freedom of the
press, is an essential component of democracy, and it has always complemented
the organization's efforts in
favor of peace and development.
Mr. Chairman,
I want to express the satisfaction of my delegation and of the delegate
Members of the Rio Group, to see you
direct the work of this committee. We all know and recognize the effort
that you and the members of the
Bureau, have realized to ensure that the twenty-second meeting, that
symbolizes the beginning of a new
millenium, is an opportunity to rethink and consider the Information
and Communications Policy of the United
Nations. You can count on the full collaboration and commitment of the
member states of the Rio Group.
Let me also express our gratitude to the Sub Secretary General of
Public Information Affairs, Mr. Kensaku
Hogen, and to everyone in the Public Information Department. Thank you
for your hard work and effort in
coming up with an effective communication policy for the Organization,
and with the necessary technological
modernization within the organization to ensure a wider and more effective
diffusion of the United Nations
work.
Mr. Chairman,
The year 2000 has been presented as a year of change; it is a pivot
in the history of humanity. The Third
Millenium can bring change but it may also bring more threat to mankind.
This is also true for the United Nations, and particular for their
Public Information Policy, as the
secretary-general expresses in his reports. This Organization wants
to open its doors to everyone; it wants to
be in harmony with the hopes and challenges of mankind and to follow
with the mandates of the Charter; to
maintain peace and international security and to promote tolerance,
to live together in peace with one another
as good neighbors, and to promote international cooperation for development.
Therefore, the United Nations
has a great task ahead of them: to adapt the new international realities
with its commitment to peace and
development.
The Secretariat General has declared that the function of information
and communications is going to be a
central part of the strategic management of the Organization. We have
different reports that clearly outline
what has been done and what is going to be done by the Department of
Public Information, in terms of
technological advances but always keeping in mind tolerance, and respect
for cultural diversity.
The member states of the Rio Group celebrate this Secretariat General
initiative and we congratulate the
Department of Public Information, for the actions they have taken in
making the most of the opportunities that
technology, especially the internet, grants us. The internet is the
fastest growing instrument of communications,
it allows people to always be connected leaving behind the barriers
of distance and allows more access to
information, therefore it is important for the Organization to take
advantage of the opportunities that this form
of communication offers.
A globalization process of information, based on the use of advanced
technology, leaves all the states and
individuals who do not have access to this kind of technology, at risk
of being left behind. For this reason, we
feel that it is important to support the suggestions of other delegations,
whom call upon the need to maintain the
importance of other forms of communications, such as written press,
radio and television, for they are basic
and modest, but tend to be more accessible and have greater impact in
the poorest sectors of the developing
countries.
Keeping in mind the risks and effects of globalization, it is important
to call upon the developed countries so
that advancements in technology and communications, can be transferred
and shared to the developing
countries, we also hope to see the United Nations supporting us in this
aspiration.
Mr. Chairman,
In our countries, the work of UN Information Centers has been crucial
in communicating the Organization's
message in our societies. We want to highlight their importance and
the benefits they have granted to the local
educational and academic community. For this reason we hope to see that
the work and assistance of these
centers continue, and hope to see them grow when the time is right by
granting them more human resources
and materials.
Concerning, the integration of the Information Centers with the local
PNUD offices, we feel that it is important
for the investigations on the effectiveness of this policy, to be studied
case by case, keeping in mind the factors
of each countries experience. It is possible that these case analysis
come to the conclusion to continue with the
Centers in some cases and in others to integrate them and therefore
eliminate them. We ask that the
considerations and reasons that draw up the conclusions, be factual
and not based on economic factors.
Mr. Chairman,
The Member States of the Rio Group have participated since the United
Nations creation and have always
contributed baring in mind the respect for plurality and cultural diversity
of this organization. The clearest
expression of this, is the harmonious respect for the different languages
within the organization, principle and
compromise that must not be forgotten under any circumstance.
We want to express our satisfaction, we feel that there has been great
effort and commitment to respect the six
official languages of the United Nations in the elaboration of the Organization's
Website. We call upon the
Department of Public information to continue with this work in all its
initiatives, to facilitate access of UN
materials.
Mr. Chairman,
The Member States of the Rio Group hopes to make a creative contribution
in the reflection that will take
place in the Information Committee. We hope that our contribution will
be debated and enriched by the
dialogue amongst all the members of the Committee.
Information gives power, this is why it is sometimes hidden, fragmented
or used as an arm against us.
Sometimes information it is transformed into a resource of service,
that is sold according to the convenience of
the moment. This is not the way we wish to understand the concept of
information.
We want to see Information as the common experience of all mankind,
to benefit all. This is why we hope for
an Information Policy that is open and accessible, so that it can become
a factor that contributes to
development in strengthening.
Thank you.
