Islamabad, May 04, 2023 (PPI-OT): The 45th today Session of the Committee on Information concluded the work of the Committee of the Information today. Ambassador Aamir khan, the Deputy Permanent Representative of the Pakistan to the United Nation, chaired the session in his capacity as the Chair of the Committee for the year 2023-24. The session was held from April 24 to May 04, 2023. A series of informal consultations were held by the CoI Secretariat ahead of the 45th Session Pakistan aligned itself with the Group of 77 and China during the session. The open-ended working group successfully concluded its work led by Ambassador Yusnier Romero Puentes from Cuba who, on behalf of the G77 and China, who led the negotiations. The resolution titled “Questions relating to Information” was adopted with consensus.

At the closing session today, Ambassador Aamir Khan called this consensual adoption “yet another example of how multilateralism operates in practice. how diplomacy is the best way to overcome our differences, work together and jointly address our common challenges while providing guidance to the Department of global communications”. Ambassador Aamir Khan, as a Chair, led the closing session.

Having completed the consideration of the committee’s recommendations to the general assembly, he conveyed appreciation to the staff of the department for general assembly and conference management for the services provided ahead and during this annual session of the committee. Ambassador Aamir Khan in his closing remarks reiterated that “the adoption of this resolution reaffirms the significance of information in today’s inter-connected world and underscores the need for Member States to work together to promote access to reliable, accurate and timely information”.

“The resolution acknowledges the challenges that arise from the rapidly changing media landscape, including the proliferation of disinformation and misinformation. It calls on member states to promote media literacy and digital literacy, to support independent media and journalism, and to combat hate speech and incitement to violence” he added. As Chair of the Committee, he urged all member states to take action to implement the provisions of this resolution. “It is critical that we work together to promote a more peaceful, transparent, and inclusive information world for all, and to ensure that all people have access to the information they need to make informed decisions and participate fully in society,” he said.

He hoped that the members would expand efforts to find solutions to the problems facing the information world today, including by actively participating in the process of the development of the “Code of Conduct for Information and Integrity on Digital Platforms”, which has been initiated by the Secretary-General in the context of the Summit of the Future in 2024.“I envisage that beyond the 45th Session of this Committee, the Member States will join hands and make strenuous efforts, towards developing a strong code of conduct that meets aspirations of the international community, especially the Member States,” he said.

“As a Chair of the Committee on Information, Pakistan is looking forward to playing a constructive role in this regard. I also encourage all of you to do the same”. He also thanked the delegates for the support they have shown to the Chair and the bureau. Ambassador Aamir Khan, in his capacity as the Chair of the Committee, made his closing remarks. The closing session adopted the draft resolutions and the report of the committee to the general assembly at its seventy-eighth session. The rapporteur of the committee, Ms. Liliana Veronica Banos Muller, from el Salvador, introduced the draft report.

In the statements by the G77 and China and other member states, the speakers applauded the efforts of the chair, Ambassador Aamir Khan, for playing a crucial role during the negotiations to reach the consensus. The Committee on Information is the subsidiary body of the 4th Committee of the General Assembly at the United Nations. It examines United Nations public information policies and activities; evaluating and following up on the efforts made, and the progress achieved by the United Nations system in the field of information.

The committee also promotes the establishment of a new, more just, and more effective world information and communication order. Pakistan was elected as a chair Committee on Information for a two-year term (2023-24) during the first plenary meeting of the 45th annual session of the Committee on Information of the General Assembly on April 24, 2023.Pakistan assumed the Presidency of the Committee on Information (CoI) for the second time. Ambassador Aamir Khan, Deputy Permanent Representative of Pakistan chaired the Committee on behalf of Pakistan and led the 45th annual session of the Committee.

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