Chair,
Distinguished delegates,
Ladies and gentlemen,

On behalf of the Group of 77 and China, I wish to congratulate you on your election to the Chair of the 4th Committee and to pledge that my delegation will extend its usual cooperation and support to you and to the rest of the members of the Bureau. I also express our appreciation to the previous bureau chaired by South Africa.

I thank the Department of Global Communication [USG Ms. Melissa Fleming] for the comprehensive presentation on the report of the SG on Questions relating to information.

We commend the Department for its continued efforts in raising awareness of the work and activities of the United Nations globally.

I also commend Ambassador Muhammad Usman Iqbal Jadoon of Pakistan for his able Chairmanship of the 46th session of the Committee on Information (COI), which led to a successful conclusion and an outcome document adopted by consensus.

You will recall that the 46th session of the COI was an essential platform in enhancing the United Nations methods for communicating its message to the world, particularly in the current context when we are grappling with multiple challenges and crisis.

Mr. Chair,

We commend the Department's global strategic communications response to a broad range of new and ongoing challenges, such as (COVID-19) pandemic, climate change and proliferating conflicts.
Furthermore, we commend the department in advancing the UN efforts to combat misinformation, hate speech and disinformation and foster international solidarity as well as supporting the United Nations agenda on issues such as sustainable development, peace and security, and human rights. .

Mr. Chair,

While supporting the activities of the Department, the Group would like to make the following observations and recommendations:

- The Department of Global Communications should continue its work on implementing the United Nations Global Principles for Information Integrity, which could serve as an important reference for Member States for their respective practices in this field, based on their individual national conditions.
- The Group appreciates the work of the Department and encourages the Department to develop strategies for communications to build support for the work of the United Nations including the implementation of the recently concluded Pact for the Future, the Global Digital Compact and Declaration on Future Generations.
- As we stand behind schedule in our collective journey to achieve the SDGs by 2030, we reiterate the importance of working within the established multilateral framework for achieving the SDGs by 2030. The Group hopes that the Department of Global Communications will be able to pay particular attention to the promotion of sustained economic growth and sustainable development in accordance with the relevant resolutions and commitments.
- The Group of 77 and China attaches immense importance to leveraging digital technologies for enabling socio-economic development and facilitating more effective and efficient governance and public service delivery. At the same time, the Group is deeply concerned about digital disparities which are emerging as a new form of inequality between and among states.
- We encourage the relevant organizations, while respecting countries´ sovereignty, to take steps to secure greater Internet connectivity, especially in developing countries and rectify the imbalances of the present development of information and communication technology to make the world of media more just, equitable, and impartial.
- We should seek an equitable international information technology regime which bridges the digital divide and enables developing countries to "leapfrog" into the global digital economy of the future. This is essential for the global transition to modern and efficient national economies and effective international cooperation, including an inclusive digital economy and connectivity, as well as to outline shared principles for a digital future for all to achieve the 2030 Agenda.
- The efforts of the United Nations to shine a spotlight on the climate crisis and offer solutions must remain a continuing focus for communication of the Department. The impacts of climate change are wreaking chaos with increasing frequency and fury, all around the globe as evidenced for instance by the massive flood disaster, sand and dust storms, hurricanes, among others occurrences in many places of the world. Information tools must be used effectively to raise awareness. As the world has entered a climate emergency, a key communications priority for the Department must be to highlight the challenges of climate change.
- The Department, in cooperation with the countries concerned, and with the relevant organizations and bodies of the United Nations system, must continue to take appropriate measures to enhance world public awareness about, inter alia, reinforcing multilateralism, unprecedented humanitarian crises and needs in the world, in particular strategic coordination in humanitarian relief, especially in natural disasters and other emerging crises due to climate change.
- The United Nations remains the indispensable foundation of a peaceful and just world especially at a time of geo-political sensitivities. Its messages must be heard in a clear and effective manner. The information provided by the United Nations needs to be accurate, reliable and impartial. Similarly, the Department of Global Communications should avoid the editorialization of breaking news stories and news alerts.
- The Department of Global Communications, guided by the UN resolutions, must lead by example in adhering to the highest standard of accuracy, integrity, and accountability as well as full compliance with the purposes and principles enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations. In this regard, taking note of the United Nations Strategy and Plan of Action on Hate Speech, the Group encourages the Department of Global Communications to establish and further strengthen partnerships with new and traditional media to address hate speech narratives and to promote tolerance, non-discrimination, pluralism and freedom of opinion and expression.
- The Group also encourages the Department to support the efforts of Member States and the United Nations System to eliminate all forms of discrimination, xenophobia, stigmatization, and hate speech targeting migrants and diasporas, as well as stereotyping and misleading narratives that generate negative perceptions of migration and migrants, bearing in mind their role as agents of sustainable development and as right holders.
- The Group wishes to highlight that the DGC should bring the information to the attention of the public of all Nations in their languages and in a creative way, in order to assure that the key messages are spread and can reach all peoples.
- The Group expresses great concern the growing trend of "fake news" and disinformation on online platforms including on social media, which is exacerbating social discord, competing nationalisms, discrimination, and hate speech and has contributed to rising racism, xenophobia, islamophobia, negative stereotyping, and related intolerance.
- We strongly urge the DGC to intensify its support for the efforts of the United Nations System to fight against disinformation, including disinformation and misinformation directed against United Nations peacekeeping operations. We support the Department in providing accurate content, including in local languages and in coordination with national authorities, to help strengthening the understanding of the UN peacekeeping mandates, managing expectations and garnering trust and support.
- The Group takes note of the report of the Secretary-General pursuant to resolution 76/227 noting that countering the different manifestations of disinformation requires addressing underlying societal tensions, fostering respect for human rights, online and offline, and supporting a plural civic space and media landscape.
- We also reiterate our call for increased focus on the dissemination of factual, timely, targeted, clear, accessible, multilingual, and science-based information on all platforms. At the same time, we urge the promotion of messages of tolerance, peaceful coexistence and interfaith and cultural harmony among all religions, ethnicities, and nations
- The Group expresses serious concern at attacks and violence against journalists and media professionals and associated personnel. The group is particularly alarmed by the deliberate targeted attacks on journalists and media professionals in Lebanon and in Gaza since October 2023. Impunity for attacks against journalists remains one of the greatest challenges to the safety of journalists. Ensuring accountability for crimes committed against journalists is a key element in preventing future attacks.
- The Group stresses the importance of mainstreaming multilingualism in all of the Organization's activities. This is an essential pillar for mutual understanding which would help to ensure inclusivity, diversity, and tolerance.
- We encourage the Department of Global Communications to mobilize adequate resources, including by exploring innovative financing options as well as voluntary contributions, to promote multilingualism to maximize its outreach at the grassroots level.
- General Assembly resolution 76/268 recognizes that multilingualism promotes unity in diversity and international understanding. The Group fully supports its integration into the activities of the United Nations. While noting that some progress has been made, the Group continues to be concerned at the disparity in the use of all official languages in United Nations public information materials and platforms, including various social media campaigns.

In addition, we also encourage the United Nations Information Centres and Country Offices to disseminate information about the work of the United Nations in local languages. This will not only help overcome the language barrier faced by a large portion of the world population, but also enable them to participate in the discourse on global issues.
 
We also welcome the promotional campaigns of the DGC, showcasing troop/police-contributing countries and encourage the Department to develop more effective and integrated communications strategies to highlight their contributions in an effective manner.

The Group welcomes desk reviews of threats to information integrity across the world, as well as of the applicable regulatory efforts occurring at the national and regional levels. We also appreciate the intensified exchanges of views developed by the Department, with Member States and relevant stakeholders in the field of information integrity, including think tanks, academia, media institutions and the United Nations system.
Furthermore, we urge the DGC to continue to support and strengthen the UN information centres and carry out the rationalization process of such centers in consultation with all concerned Member States, the countries served by those information centres and other interested countries in the region.

In conclusion, the Group once again commends Department's efforts to communicate effectively on the wide range of current key global challenges that has reinforced the importance of the Organization as a source of accurate, trusted, and unbiased information for the global public good.

Looking ahead, the Group extends assurances of its full support to strengthen the Organization's work and purposes and to engage with people worldwide and mobilize them for action. s

I thank you.