EU Presidency Statement - Question of Information

Mr. Chairman,

I have the honour to speak on behalf of the European Union. The Candidate Countries Bulgaria, Romania, Turkey and Croatia , the Countries of the Stabilization and Association Process and potential candidates the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and Serbia and Montenegro, align themselves with this statement.

Mr. Chairman,

The EU acknowledges the central role of DPI in providing and distributing information about the UN and the issues the UN works on. Especially at a time, when UN involvement and the ideals inspiring its purposes are sometimes questioned by some, it is extremely important to enhance the information supply to the peoples of the world. The EU fully supports DPI in achieving this goal.

Mr. Chairman,

Allow me to congratulate the Department of Public Information (DPI) for the manner in which they have restructured the department. The restructuring and the creation of the three separate divisions enables DPI to work more efficiently and effectively.

Mr. Chairman,

According to the report on the Rationalisation of the Network of UN Information Centres and the decision by the 58th General Assembly, the 9 Information Centres in Western Europe merged on 1 January 2004. The Regional United Nations Information Centre (RUNIC) was established in Brussels. Though still in the early stages, the RUNIC will eventually provide Western Europe with valuable information and documentation and work together with various ministries, media, authorities and NGO's. The RUNIC in Brussels will be the first of many as the regionalization will, on the long run, reduce costs and increase the efficiency of information. In this light the European Union wishes to reiterate our strong support for this concept, hoping that the lesson-learned will be useful to implement the rationalization process in other regions of the world when regionalization is replicated.

Mr. Chairman,

The EU welcomes the DPI efforts in enhancing multilingualism within the UN. For example, the UN News Centre website is now becoming accessible in various languages other than English. As for the numerous UNICS around the world, 53 of them now have websites in their local languages. The EU recognises the importance of lifting the language barrier and would like to urge DPI to continue this process. The EU would like to express the appreciation for the efforts by the Dag Hammarskjöld Library too. The library offers extended information on a wide range of topics, not only for delegates at the UN but also for anyone around the world. The library's website is a very informative piece of work.

Mr. Chairman,

The EU also welcomes the extensive work DPI has done to improve the quality of the UN website. Today someone can log onto the UN website anywhere in the world and follow both the work of the UN or the international issues which are not always covered by the media Such initiatives contribute to helping people understand the role of the UN. The UN website further offers extended coverage on various topics and in particular on various peacekeeping operations. The news on peacekeeping operations is especially important since it has become obvious that there is a considerable gap between the public perception and the reality in this matter. DPI plays and has to continue playing the main role in providing this crucial information.

However, though internet is growing fast and with that the possibility to spread the UN message, we should keep in mind that there are still millions of people who do not have access. In North America, 68 % of the population enjoys the privilege of Internet. In Europe this is 31 %. With these figures in mind it is alarming that only 1.4 % of the African population and 6.5 % of the Asian population have these possibilities. The EU would therefore like to stress two things. The first is the responsibility of the developed countries to prevent nations from falling behind on the technological highway. We need to assist these nations wherever we can so they can adapt to this age of technology. In this respect I refer to the 2005 Tunis Follow-up to the World Summit on Information Society of 2003. The second topic the EU would like to stress is the importance of radio broadcasting. In those parts of the world where technological development still has a long way to go, radio has proven to be the most cost-productive and far-reaching media. The EU is glad to see DPI working together with various networks to spread the UN information.

Mr. Chairman,

Though I should not have to say so in this day and age, please let me take this opportunity to underline the commitment of the EU to freedom of expression. In too many countries, freedom of expression is still a distant prospect, though it is a universal right provided by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and reiterated for instance in the EU charter of fundamental rights. Too many authorities attempt to control and influence media. The EU strongly condemns these practices. We believe that freedom of the press is fundamental for any society. Also, too many journalists today still face incredible challenges when trying to carry out their profession. The EU has the greatest respect and admiration for the numerous journalists who put their lives at risk on a daily basis in order to provide us with reliable information and we commemorate those who sacrificed their life for this purpose

Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

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