Pakistan urges UN to fight burgeoning disinformation on social media platforms
Pakistan
Pakistan is the current chairman of G-77 and China.
UNITED NATIONS (APP) - Pakistan, speaking on behalf of the “Group of 77” developing countries and China, has called on the United Nations Department of Global Communications (DGC) to fight the proliferating ‘fake news’ and disinformation on social media platforms, and pay greater attention to the promotion of sustained economic growth and sustainable development in the coronavirus and conflict-hit countries.
“The United Nations remains the indispensable foundation of a peaceful and just world — its messages must be heard in a clear and effective manner,” Ambassador Munir Akram told the Committee on Information, a subsidiary body of the UN General Assembly, on Tuesday.
Describing the Committee as vital in that regard, he said that following the challenges of the last two years, many countries now face the serious threats of food, energy and supply chain disruption.
Pakistan is the current chairman of G-77 and China, which now has 134 members and is the United Nations’ biggest intergovernmental group of emerging countries.
In his remarks, Ambassador Akram said the world at large faces severe stress due to proliferating conflicts, a new arms race, rising xenophobia and hate speech, violence and disinformation, he noted, adding that, against that backdrop, the Department has worked relatively well.
The Pakistani envoy emphasized that the growing trend of “fake news” and disinformation on online platforms demands that the Department intensify its support for efforts across the United Nations system to fight disinformation while disseminating factual, clear, accessible, multilingual and science-based information. It must also pay greater attention to the promotion of sustained economic growth and sustainable development, in accordance with relevant resolutions and commitments, he said.
The Group of 77 is deeply concerned about digital disparities emerging as a new form of inequality between and among States, he said. “The international community, led by the United Nations, should take the necessary steps in rectifying the imbalances.”
Ambassador Akram called for efforts to leverage digital technologies to enable socioeconomic development and facilitate more effective and efficient governance as well as delivery of public services, saying the Department remains well-positioned to bridge the gap between the developed and developing countries in the crucial field of public information and communications.
He went on to underline that multilingualism and cultural diversity are cardinal values of multilateralism, enshrined in the United Nations Charter.
In that regard, the Pakistani envoy encouraged the Department to mobilize adequate resources to promote multilingualism and maximize its outreach at the grassroots level, including by exploring innovative financing options and voluntary contributions.
While welcoming the Department’s promotional campaigns and the work of United Nations information centres, he urged it to further strengthen partnerships with new and traditional media around the world.
