Information issues/DPI/Palestine programme – GA Fourth Cttee meeting – Press Release (excerpts)

Fourth Committee

8^th Meeting (AM)

IN A WORLD YEARNING FOR BALANCED INFORMATION, PUBLIC INFORMATION DEPARTMENT

MUST LEARN TO TAP, MANAGE RANGE OF INTERNET CHOICES, FOURTH COMMITTEE TOLD

/…

Background

The Fourth Committee (Special Political and Decolonization) met this morning to continue its general debate on questions relating to information.  Reports before the Committee are summarized in yesterday’s Press Release (GA/SPD/376).

Statements

/…

HOSSEIN MALEKI (Iran) …

/…

The Department’s commitment to maintaining a culture of evaluation was appreciated, but the host countries of United Nations information centres should be involved in the evaluation process, he said.  The Department should play a role in promoting respect for all countries, religions and civilizations, and he urged the Secretary-General to promote the Global Agenda for Dialogue.  The Department should also increase the number of participants in its annual training programmes for journalists from developing countries, and continue its annual programme for Palestinian journalists.

/…

MARI MIYOSHI (Japan) recalled that the Department of Public Information and Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs had co-sponsored the international media seminar on peace in the Middle East, held in Tokyo in June.  Although the situation in Gaza had been pressing at the time, the seminar had been held with both Palestinian and Israeli participants, representing various spheres of society of both parties.  She thanked Under-Secretary-General Kiyo Akasaka and his team for their hard work in realizing the seminar. 

/…

YUSSEF F. KANAAN, Permanent Observer Mission of Palestine to the United Nations, noted the Department’s efforts to expand its services and communications strategy to draw the world’s attention to important issues; among them climate change, the Millennium Development Goals, peace and security and human rights.  He underlined the importance of the Department’s programmes to bring the issues of Palestine and the Middle East to the world’s attention, and the contributions that made towards peace.  The Department’s Palestine unit played a critical role in that regard, including the conference held in Tokyo, entitled “Retrieving the path of peace:  Reengaging Israelis and Palestinians in the search for a durable and comprehensive political settlement”.

He encouraged the Department to continue to provide assistance to the Palestinian people through the training of journalists and broadcasters, which had a special significance for Palestine, despite the obstacles imposed by the Government of Israel; it had recently prevented three Palestinian journalists from obtaining travel visas to participate in the Department’s training programmes.  Those practices were in violation of several different international and human rights laws, for which the international community should confront Israel.

The library of documentaries on Palestine’s history was important, he said.  Also, tours of United Nations grounds should be led by guides who could cover Palestine’s history.  Pointing to the negative treatment of Islam and the Prophet Mohammed by some Western media, he said that the Department should pay more attention to intercultural dialogue.  Its role in developing television and radio programmes and expanding partnerships with different media outlets was appreciated, as was the role played by the Dag Hammarskjold Library.

/…

* *** *

For information media • not an official record