Resolution 33/115 C of 18 December 1978

United Nations Public Information Policies and Activities

The General Assembly,

Recalling its resolution 3535 (XXX) of 17 December 1975 and other relevant resolutions of the General Assembly relating to the question of information,

Bearing in mind the report of the Secretary-General on United Nations public information policies and activities,

Conscious of the important role which the United Nations public information services should play in better dissemiriating to world public opinion the aims and achievements of the United Nations,

Recognizing to that end the valuable assistance which Member States, the specialized agencies and non-governmental organizations concerned can give to the work of the United Nations public information services,

Convinced of the need to strengthen and co-ordinate the activities and programmes of the United Nations system in the field of information and mass communications,

Bearing in mind the need to have Member States participate more actively in framing policies and programmes of the United Nations system in the field of information and mass communications,

Recognizing further the essential role of information in the implementation of international decisions concerning economic and social development, especially those concerning the establishment of the new international economic order,

Recognizing to that end the important role which can be played by the Division for Economic and Social Information of the Department of Public Information of the Secretariat,

Considering the need to maintain a balance in the use of the official languages of the United Nations in information handled and disseminated by the Department of Public Information,

  1. Takes note of the report of the Secretary-General submitted in pursuance of General Assembly resolution 3535 (XXX) and observes with satisfaction the great interest taken by the Secretary-General in improving United Nations public information services;
  2. Reaffirms the necessity to foster in world opinion better knowledge of the aims and achievements of the United Nations, including the principles and purposes of the new international economic order;
  3. Requests the Secretary-General to take the necessary measures to ensure the close collaboration of Member States, the specialized agencies, non-governmental organizations and other information bodies in framing public information policies and programmes of the United Nations system;
  4. Decides to establish a Committee to Review United Nations Public Information Policies and Activities, consisting of forty-one Member States;
  5. Requests the President of the General Assembly, having consulted the regional groups, to appoint the members of the Committee on the basis of equitable geographical distribution;
  6. Requests the Committee to submit a report to the General Assembly at its thirty-fourth session on the policies and activities of the public information services of the United Nations system, giving particular attention to activities in the economic and social sphere;
  7. Requests the Secretary-General to take the necessary measures to enable the Department of Public Information to maintain an adequate balance in the use of the official languages of the United Nations with, inter alia, an increase in the number of publications in the languages which such balance would require;
  8. Requests the Secretary-General to submit a report to the General Assembly at its thirty-fourth session on developments in the activities of the public information services of the Secretariat;
  9. Decides to include in the provisional agenda of its thirty-fourth session the item entitled “United Nations public information policies and activities”.

87th plenary meeting, 18 December 1978

The President of the General Assembly subsequently informed the Secretary-General that, in accordance with paragraph 5 of resolution C above, he had appointed the members of the Committee to Review United Nations Public Information Policies and Activities.

As a result, the Committee is composed of the following Member States: Argentina, Benin, Chile, Colombia, Congo, Cyprus, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Ethiopia, Finland, France, German Democratic Republic, Germany, Federal Republic of, Guatemala, Guinea, India, Italy, Ivory Coast, Japan, Jordan, Lebanon, Niger, Nigeria, Peru, Philippines, Romania, Somalia, Spain, Sri Lanka, Syrian Arab Republic, Togo, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic, Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, United States of America, Yemen, and Yugoslavia.

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