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Statement by the outgoing Chairman of the Committee on Information at the opening session of the Committee

Monday, 22 April 2013
Presenter: 
H.E. Ambassador Eduardo Ulibarri
Location: 
New York

Distinguished Excellencies and colleagues; ladies and gentlemen: 
In concluding my duties as Chairman of the Committee on Information, I would 
like to take this opportunity to thank my fellow Bureau members for their 
continuous and effective support; all delegates for their constructive approach to 
the work of the Committee, and the leadership and staff of the Department of 
Public Information, for their strong and successful efforts in spreading the 
universal voice of the United Nations. I particularly commend the proactive 
stewardship of Ambassador Peter Launsky-Tieffenthal, Under-Secretary-General 
for Communications and Public Information 
I also want to welcome and wish the best to the new Chairperson and Bureau 
members, who will be elected soon. 
Dear colleagues: 
Day after day, reality reminds us that information, communications and data 
management are key and fast drivers of the political, economic, cultural and 
social dynamics of contemporary life. 
Faced with this rapidly evolving situation, the Committee and the Department 
have to constantly consider a relevant question. It is how to harness the 
convulsive energy of today´s transformative communications instruments and 
processes for fostering the UN missions, actions and messages, while also keeping 
track of the key role still played by the traditional media. 
This and other major challenges are accelerating in a time of very limited 
resources. Therefore, the COI and the DPI, more than ever, need to join efforts for 
turning their overloading responsibilities into inspiring and effective actions. After two years as Chair of the Committee on Information, I have good news to 
report on this front:
Our political negotiations in the Committee have followed a spirit of constructive 
engagement and increasing openness, within and among negotiating partners. 
We still have room to advance in streamlining and better structuring our yearly 
resolution, and in overcoming some reluctance to change, but there have already 
been important advances in these regards. 
The Department, on its part, has updated processes, clarified responsibilities, 
better coordinated with other UN instances, and more actively engaged with 
member States. It has also expanded its reach through innovative partnerships 
with different actors, including academic institutions, NGOs, media organizations, 
professional communicators and citizen journalists. It has paid particular 
attention to young people as a key audience for interaction. And it has translated 
into initial actions a relevant aspiration of the Committee: to disseminate the 
message of the United Nations with a multilingual voice. 
The issue of multilingualism has become a good example of the enhanced 
collaboration of the COI and the DPI. But the productive exchanges and relations 
between the two bodies extend to other areas. As examples, let me mention the 
joint organization of special public events; the engagement of the directors of the 
DPI in inter-sessional exchanges with the Bureau, and the willingness of the 
Department to receive and look for suggestions of Member States. 
So, I think that we are in the process of producing better results through better 
ideas, wiser decisions, more productive resource allocation and a more active 
cooperation inside and between our two bodies. There are still plenty of 
possibilities for improvement, but we should keep and foster the good steps 
already taken. 
I am sure that during the upcoming years the Committee on Information and the 
Department of Public Information will generate more good news to be reported 
to Member States and to our key constituents, “the people of the United 
Nations”. 
I thank you all very much.

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