In his opening remarks at the launch of the United Nations Global Principles for Information Integrity on June 24, 2024, UN Secretary-General António Guterres emphasized the severe impact of misinformation, disinformation, and hate speech on global society. He highlighted how these issues fuel prejudice, violence, and division, compromising democratic processes and endangering public health and safety.
The Global Principles for Information Integrity consist of five core tenets:
- Societal Trust and Resilience: Building trust within communities and creating resilient societies.
- Independent, Free, and Pluralistic Media: Ensuring a diverse and autonomous media landscape.
- Healthy Incentives: Promoting business models that prioritize factual information over engagement-driven disinformation.
- Transparency and Research: Encouraging transparency in algorithms and fostering research to understand and mitigate misinformation.
- Public Empowerment: Empowering the public to demand accountability and exercise their rights to freedom of expression and information.
Guterres called for the cooperation of governments, tech companies, advertisers, and media outlets to uphold these principles. He stressed that tech companies should take responsibility for the harm caused by their platforms, advertisers should avoid monetizing harmful content, and media outlets should enforce high editorial standards. Additionally, governments are urged to support a free and independent media while protecting journalists and ensuring that regulations respect human rights.
The Secretary-General concluded by urging all stakeholders to listen to public concerns, take action against disinformation, and work together to protect information integrity, ultimately supporting sustainable development, democracy, and peace.
Read the Secretary-General’s full remarks at https://www.un.org/sg/en/content/ossg/noon-briefing-highlight
