Special Political and Decolonization Committee
(Fourth Committee)
Summary record of the 11th meeting
Held at Headquarters, New York, on Wednesday, 19 October 2011, at 3 p.m.
Chair: Mr. Ciss (Vice-Chair) …………………………………………………………. (Senegal)
later: Ms. Miculescu (Chair) …………………………………………………………. (Romania)
Contents
Agenda item 55: Questions relating to information (continued) (A/66/21 and A/66/261)
/…
4. Ms. Bulhoon (United Arab Emirates), …
/…
7. International legal instruments should be enacted to facilitate greater international cooperation in the field of information. Moreover, international media conglomerates should abide by ethical standards and also maintain their credibility by, inter alia, broadcasting the facts about the suffering of the Palestinian people as a result of the policies of aggression, blockade, killing and settlement expansion being pursued by Israel in flagrant violation of human rights principles and the provisions of international law.
8. Mr. Hamed (Syrian Arab Republic) …
/…
11. The Department was to be commended for following the question of Palestine, in accordance with General Assembly resolutions, and urged it to give still more attention to that issue, in view of the suffering of the Palestinian people over so many decades. Israel, with the support of some major Powers, continued to occupy the Palestinian territories and deny their people their legitimate rights, systematically violating human rights and international humanitarian law by confiscating land, demolishing homes, building new settlements, building the apartheid wall, desecrating and violating Islamic and Christian sites, terrorizing people, and blockading Gaza. Accordingly, it was important for the yearly special information programme on the question of Palestine to be continued.
/…
19. Mr. Al-Saiyani (Yemen) said that his delegation supported the efforts of the Department of Public Information to raise public awareness of the work of the United Nations and to illuminate its mission in key priority areas. In particular, the Department was to be commended for undertaking annually the special information programme on the question of Palestine, the International Media Seminar on Peace in the Middle East, held in Budapest in 2011, and the training programme for Palestinian media practitioners.
/…
28. Ms. Miculescu (Romania) took the Chair.
/…
51. Mr. Benashur (Libya) …
/…
53. Because of the vital nature of its work, it was important for the Department to eliminate disparities and inequalities in its use of the Organization’s official languages. In addition, sufficient prominence had not been given to information on certain issues, such as a dialogue between civilizations and the vilification of some religions. The question of Palestine, the suffering of the Palestinian people under occupation and its right to self-determination also deserved greater attention. That said, the training programme for Palestinian media practitioners that the Department organized every year was a highly useful means of developing their capacities and skills.
/…
59. Mr. Sahraei (Islamic Republic of Iran) …
/…
61. The Department had an important responsibility to raise international awareness of the question of Palestine and to shed more light on the humanitarian situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territory. It should also use its worldwide presence to counter the trend towards defamation of Islam and denigration of Muslims and to foster respect for all religions. Promoting dialogue among civilizations and cultures promoted understanding among people, and the activities of the Organization should also foster such dialogue.
/…
The meeting rose at 5.40 p.m.
Document Type: Summary record
Document Sources: General Assembly Fourth Committee (Special Political and Decolonization)
Subject: Agenda Item, Palestine question, Public information
Publication Date: 19/10/2011