Committee on Information, opening of the 48th session
Chair’s statement delivered by H.E. Rein Tammsaar, Permanent Representative of Estonia
New York, 27 April 2026
Distinguished delegates,
Under-Secretary-General Fleming,
It is a privilege to open the 48th session of the Committee on Information. I thank you for your continued trust and engagement, and look forward to working closely with the bureau, the facilitator, the secretariat and all delegations over the next two weeks.
Our task remains clear: to engage with the Department of Global Communications, discuss their work and provide guidance by Member States. This Committee has long been guided by a spirit of consensus, and I remain hopeful that, with your constructive approach, we can once again deliver an outcome guided by compromise. I stand ready to support this process in a transparent and inclusive manner.
Excellencies,
The global information environment is increasingly fragmented. The challenge is no longer solely the spread of disinformation – it is the erosion of a shared factual evidence based foundation. Competing narratives, often deliberately constructed, are shaping perceptions of conflict, governance, and multilateralism itself. At the same time, rapid technological advances are accelerating both the creation and amplification of content, making manipulation more scalable, more convincing, and harder to detect. In such a landscape, trust has become both more fragile and more essential.
This places a particular responsibility on the United Nations. The Organisation must continue to serve as a credible, impartial, and accessible source of information—grounded in facts, guided by the Charter, and responsive to the needs of diverse audiences. The work of the Department of Global Communications is therefore central to the UN’s ability to deliver on its mandates. I commend the Department, under the leadership of the Under-Secretary-General, for continuously adapting its tools and outreach to meet these evolving challenges.
At the same time, the UN is undergoing significant reforms to ensure that the Organisation remains effective, efficient, and fit for purpose in this rapidly changing world. Communication is central to this agenda. The UN must be able to demonstrate impact, address misconceptions, and engage openly with both Member States and the wider public. The Department of Global Communications has a key role to play in ensuring that reform efforts are communicated in a coherent and credible manner. As we heard from USG Fleming, the DGC is also undergoing reforms to increase efficiency and adapt to new technologies. The Committee will remain engaged to discuss how these reforms impact the Department’s work and provide guidance if and where necessary.
Distinguished delegates,
I would also like to commend the DGC for advancing its work on information integrity over the past year. Since the introduction of the Global Principles, we have seen encouraging steps toward their practical application, including the development of partnerships, pilot initiatives and guidance aimed at translating commitments into action. The priority now is to scale these efforts and ensure broad, inclusive engagement with Member States, technology companies and other stakeholders. Strengthening information integrity remains a shared responsibility and a key foundation for trust and the achievement of the SDGs.
In this context, the role of artificial intelligence deserves particular attention. AI offers powerful tools to expand the reach, accessibility and multilingual capacity of UN communications. At the same time, it raises complex challenges related to trust, accountability and the potential for misuse. As the Department continues to integrate these technologies into its work, it will be important to ensure that their use remains human-centered, inclusive, transparent and firmly grounded in the principles of the UN Charter and international human rights law.
Moreover, we must not lose sight of the fundamental importance of media freedom. Independent, free and pluralistic media are essential to a resilient information ecosystem. They play a critical role in countering disinformation, holding power to account and ensuring that diverse voices are heard. Yet, in many parts of the world, journalists face growing restrictions, intimidation and violence. Supporting a safe and enabling environment for media is therefore not only a matter of principle, but a necessary condition for strengthening information integrity globally.
The Committee on Information has a vital role to play in guiding the United Nations’ global communications in an increasingly complex and contested environment. Our discussions over the coming days should aim to deliver practical, balanced and forward-looking recommendations that strengthen the work of the Department of Global Communications and reinforce trust in the Organisation. I encourage all delegations to engage constructively and in a spirit of compromise.
I look forward to our deliberations.
I thank you.