text: 132.Mr.Bradford Morse,Administrator ofUNDPandDirector oftheOfficefor Emergency Operations inAfrica, addressing theCommittee, thanked theDepartment foritsassistance tohisOffice, andexpressed gratitude fortheconsiderable coverage giventoAfrican reliefneedsbyJUNIC. HesaidthattheUnitedNations hadtriedforsometimetodrawattention totheserious situation inAfrica, but -26-he es l asin stem report n the the ~,a jfree ~e of iithin iing 'ed ters The e e nt ::ms hut 1Ilitwasnotuntiltelevision flashed pictures ofdeathandsuffering thatthe international mobilization tookplace. Millions ofpeople haddied,orlefttheir homesinsearchoffoodand~ater. Thelivesof30million peopleinAfrica were stillatrisk.Information played acrucial roleintheAfrican emergency situation andindevelopment asawhole. 133.Inhisintroduction ofthereportonthisitem(A/AC.198/93), the Officer-in-Charge saidthatJUNIChadbeeninformed atitslastsession ofthework oftheCommittee onInformation in1984andtherelated developments duringthe thirty-ninth session oftheGeneral Assembly. Healsodrewtheattention ofthe Committee tothequestions whichhadbeeninthefocusofattention ofJUNICduring itslastsession. 134.Several delegations expressed support fortheefforts ofJUNICinpromoting inter-agency co-operation andco-ordination inthefieldofinformation. Anumber ofdelegations statedthattheywerepleased thattheemergency situation inAfrica hadbeengiventhehighest priority byJUNICandsupported theconclusions ofJUNIC inthatregard. 135.Several delégations expressed theviewthatmoreattention should begivento information oneconomic andsocialissues. Aviewwasexpressed thattherewasa needforincreased assistance totheDivision forEconomic andSocialInformation. 136,Anumberofdelegations supported thecontinued publication ofDevelopment Forum, sorneofthemfavouring itsfinancing fromaregular budget. Asimilar "iew wasexpressed withregardtotheNon-Governmental Liaison Services. 137.Several delegations expressed support fortheWorldNewspaper Supplement, and thetelevision project AgendaforaSmallPlanet -PhasesIIandIII. 138.Inthecontext ofdiscussions oninter-agency co-operation, adelegation statedthatinternational organizations suchastheUnitedNations wereboundto receive publiccriticism. Suchcriticism shou1dberesponded toasaccurate1y and quickly aspossible. D.Recommendations 139.TheCommittee onInformation submits thefo1lowing recommendations tothe General Assembly: 1.Therecommendations oftheCommittee onInformation approved bythe General Assembly inreso1ution 39/98Aof14December 1984,asweIlasall provisions oftheresolution, shouldbereiterared, takingintoaccount the viewsexpressed bydelegations attheplenary meeting ofthethirty-ninth session oftheGeneral Assembly on14December 1984. Thoserecommendations should beimp1emented infull,andtheSecretary-Genera1 should berequested toreporttotheCommittee onInfor.mation atitssubstantive session in1986 onmeasures takenfortheimplementation ofthoserecommsndations and provisions pending'imp1ementat ion. 2.Themandate oftheCommitteE onInformation should berenewed asset forthinGeneral Assemb1y reso1ution 34/182of18December 1979andreaffirmed inAssemb1y reso1utions 35/201of16December 1980,36/149 Bof 16December 1981,37/94Bof10December 1982,38/82Bof15December 1983and 39/98Aof14December 1984. -27-! 1 j 1 J 1Promotion oftheestablishment ofanew,morejustandmore effective worldinformation andcommunication orderintended tostrengthen peaceandinternational understanding and basedonthefreecirculation andwiderandbetterbalanced dissemination ofinformation 3.AIlcountries, theUnitEdNations systemasawhole,andallothers concerned, shouldcollaborate intheestablishment ofanewwor1dinformation andcommunication crderbased,intera1ia,onthefreecirculation andwider ~.~betterba1anced disseroination ofinformation, guaranteeing thediversity otsources ofinformation andfreeaccesstoinformation and,inparticular, theurgent needtochangethedependent statusofthedeveloping countries in thefieldofinformation andcommunication, astheprinciple ofsovereign
analysis: This text appears to be discussing the role of the United Nations in promoting information and communication in the context of humanitarian aid and relief efforts, particularly in Africa. The text mentions the importance of information in emergency situations and the need for international cooperation and coordination in the field of information.