Statement by
Ms. Samina Rastegary
Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic of Iran
Before the 4th Committee, UNGA 77
On agenda item 50: “Question of Information”
General Debate
New York, 20 October 2022
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful.
Mr. Chair,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
At the outset, I would like to express the association of my delegation with the statement made by the distinguished Representative of Pakistan on behalf of the G77+China. I would also like to thank Ms. Melissa Fleming, honorable Under-Secretary-General, for her comprehensive presentation on the Secretary-General's report regarding information-related questions. The valuable work and functioning of the Department of Global Communication (DGC) are recognized by my delegation as practical efforts to combat misinformation and disinformation while fostering international solidarity.
Furthermore, my delegation attaches great importance to the work of the Committee on Information as the leading intergovernmental policy-making body to provide guidance on UN policies in the field of communication and public information and thank Mr. ANGELITO NAYAN, honorable Rapporteur of this Committee for the introduction of its forty-fourth session’s report.
Considering the global circumstances that have been dominated by financial crises, pandemic diseases, international armed conflicts and occupation emanating from expansionism and extremism policies, the impact of Unilateral Coercive Measures (UCMs), in particular illegal sanctions, imposes additional burdens on targeted governments as well as their nations.
These measures, including tight restrictions on transferring resources and technology, are not only in grave violation of international law, international humanitarian law and the UN Charter but also seriously threaten the targeted countries' economic growth while hindering easy access to international help, such as essential medical items and requirements.
In this regard, while welcoming the coverage by the Department of Global Communication of measures related to the COVID-19 crisis, my delegation urges the Department to continue its efforts towards raising awareness and disseminating information on the negative impact of UCMs on the affected countries and their civilian population.
Mr. Chair,
The disparity in the use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) has also enormously widened the existing gaps between developed and developing countries in terms of public information and communication technology.
ICTs, including social media, which leads and influences many events in this current century, are effective tools in connecting people with different faiths and cultures worldwide. At the same time, social media can run the risk of misuse and abuse. Inaccurate reporting and distorted information can negatively impact countries and their citizens.
Regrettably, certain countries continue to take advantage of their monopoly of modern communication technologies to distort and fabricate the events and realities in other countries, especially in the developing world, thus tarnishing the image and damaging the interests of the latter.
Distinguished delegates,
The international community has a fundamental duty to exercise the utmost vigilance for this detrimental and undesirable situation. The digital divide between the developed and developing world requires a bridge, and information, as well as communications technologies, should be located at the service of development in a fair and just manner. The international community is expected to play a more effective and significant role in this domain by, among other things, using all of its potential capacity to help enhance the media field into a more just, equitable, impartial and trustworthy source.
The Islamic Republic of Iran emphasizes ensuring the alignment between the use of such technologies as well as the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations and international law, in particular, the principles of sovereignty, non-interference in internal matters and internationally recognized rules of civil coexistence, including friendly relations among States. We firmly reject and condemn any attempt to misuse such technologies, mainly through the proliferation of misinformation and disinformation by certain countries against developing countries, including my Country.
All people around the world have the right to freely access accurate and factual information regarding the roots of such problems. It provides them with a clear and transparent picture of what is presently taking place, which is of paramount importance. In this regard, as before, my delegation encourages the Committee on Information to focus more on issues that have, inter alia, direct impacts on international peace and security, such as occupation, violence, extremism, disarmament, poverty eradication, climate change and terrorism.
Last but not least, Mr. Chair, my delegation reaffirms its support for multilingualism which contributes to the achievement of the goals of the United Nations as set out in Article 1 of the Charter of the United Nations. In addition to the six official languages of the UN, we believe that information should also be disseminated in other languages, including the Persian language. It is a language that is spoken by tens of millions of people and is widely regarded not only as the root of great culture and civilization but also as a source of understanding and solidarity among several nations.
I thank you.