PERMANENT MISSION OF JAMAICA
TO THE UNITED NATIONS
PRESS RELEASE
Jamaica secures successful adoption of Resolution on Global Media and Information Literacy at UN Plenary Meeting
A Core Group of 19 Member States led by Jamaica’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Courtenay Rattray, secured the adoption by consensus of a draft Resolution on Global Media and Information Literacy Week during a meeting of the UN General Assembly held today at United Nations Headquarters in New York. The Resolution calls for the promotion of media and information literacy over a one-week period, 24th to 31st October, of each year.
This resolution was the result of a month long negotiation process and was the first of its kind to be adopted in the General Assembly. This is significant given the exponential increase in disinformation and misinformation during the COVID-19 pandemic. The promotion of media and information literacy, endorsed by all member states, is but one way to ensure a viable, sustainable, collective and global approach to countering the increase in disinformation, misinformation, hate speech and online harassment. The resolution complements a similar initiative led by Jamaica’s Permanent Delegation to UNESCO, which was unanimously adopted by the UNESCO General Conference in November 2019, in Paris.
The Global Media and Information Literacy Week resolution was co-sponsored by 100 member states; sending a powerful message that the global community is united in its approach to ensure that citizens are equipped with the Media and Information Literacy skills required to participate in various aspects of public life on the basis of credible and fact based information.
PRUNJA, New York
25th March 2021