EU Statement – UN General Assembly 48th Committee on Information: Opening Session

EU Statement - UN General Assembly 48th Committee on Information: Opening Session

27 April 2026, New York - Statement on behalf of the European Union and its Member States delivered by Mr. Daniel PRADA JIMENEZ DE CISNEROS, Attaché, Coordination, Press and Information Section, at the General Debate of the Committee on Information 48th Opening Session

Chair, Madam Under-Secretary-General, esteemed colleagues,

I have the honour to speak on behalf of the European Union and its Member States.

The Candidate Countries North Macedonia, Montenegro*, Ukraine, the Republic of Moldova, Bosnia and Herzegovina*, Georgia, as well as San Marino align themselves with this statement.

Allow me to congratulate you, Chair, and the members of the Bureau on your election, and to extend a warm welcome to the new members of the Committee. We stand ready to work with you towards a results-oriented session.

As we mark the 80^th anniversary of the Department of Global Communications, we commend you, Madam Under-Secretary-General, and your team for your efforts to deliver clear, credible, objective, and timely information on the work of the United Nations. We also recognise your commitment to reforming and modernising the Department to enhance effective delivery on its mandate. At a time when both facts and the United Nations itself are under increasing pressure, your work is essential.

The United Nations must remain a global beacon of truth. In today's volatile information environment, marked by false and misleading information, the Organisation must lead by example in upholding information integrity.

This underscores the need to combat mis- and disinformation and defend evidence-based information, especially in situations marked by violations and breakdowns of international law, including Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine, the war in the Middle East, the war in Sudan and in other crises and situations of conflict across the world.

Le Département doit veiller à ce que son action soit inclusive, multilingue et accessible à tous. Chaque individu doit être pris en compte.

Président, Madame la Secrétaire générale adjointe, chers collègues,

L'Union européenne et ses États membres sont profondément préoccupés par l'usage croissant de la manipulation de l'information et l'ingérence étrangères, des outils hybrides de plus en plus utilisés pour déformer la réalité et miner la paix et la sécurité internationales.

La désinformation met des vies en danger. Elle entrave l'accès humanitaire, érode la confiance dans les opérations de maintien de la paix et compromet l'action climatique ainsi que le développement durable. Elle cible en particulier les femmes et les filles, sapant ainsi la résilience démocratique et la cohésion sociale. Nous devons relever ce défi avec détermination. Nous ne pouvons pas permettre à des acteurs malveillants de compromettre la mission des Nations Unies.

[The Department's outreach must be inclusive, multilingual, and accessible to all. Every individual should be included.

Chair, Madam Under-Secretary-General, colleagues,

The European Union and its Member States are deeply alarmed by the growing use of foreign information manipulation and interference, hybrid tools increasingly deployed to distort reality and undermine international peace and security.

Disinformation endangers lives. It hampers humanitarian access, erodes trust in peacekeeping, and undermines climate action and sustainable development. Disinformation particularly targets women and girls, thereby undermining democratic resilience and social cohesion. We must address this challenge decisively. We cannot allow malign actors to derail the mission of the United Nations.]

También subrayamos que la protección de los periodistas y de los profesionales de los medios de comunicación es innegociable. En contextos de conflicto, su seguridad y su acceso, incluso a las zonas de combate, deben garantizarse mediante marcos internacionales sólidos. La información fiable no debe convertirse en una víctima de la guerra.

Apoyamos plenamente los esfuerzos del Departamento para operacionalizar los Principios Globales de las Naciones Unidas para la Integridad de la Información, garantizando que la Organización sea más rápida, ágil y eficaz en la respuesta a las amenazas informativas.

Alentamos al Departamento a intensificar aún más sus esfuerzos, en particular adaptándose al impacto de las tecnologías emergentes y de la inteligencia artificial, y aprovechando estas herramientas para promover un entorno informativo seguro, inclusivo y fiable.

[We also stress that the protection of journalists and media professionals is non-negotiable. In conflict settings, their safety and access must be ensured also to areas of conflict through strong international frameworks. Reliable information must not become a casualty of war.

We fully support the Department's efforts to operationalise the UN Global Principles on Information Integrity, ensuring the Organisation is faster, more agile, and more effective in responding to information threats.

We encourage the Department to further intensify its efforts, including by adapting to the impact of emerging technologies and artificial intelligence, and by harnessing these tools to promote a safe, inclusive, and trustworthy information environment.]

To conclude, the European Union and its Member States reaffirm our full commitment to the Department's mandate. We advocate for a strong, relevant, and consensus-based guidance from Member States on this regard, one that equips the Department to tell the UN story.

I thank you.

1. ^North Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, Albania and Bosnia and Herzegovina continue to be part of the Stabilisation and Association Process.