countries called on to take stronger measures to stop the spread of harmful information

The World Health Organization (WHO), together with the UN, specialized agencies and partners, called on countries today to develop and implement action plans to promote the timely dissemination of science-based information and prevent the dissemination of false information while respecting freedom of expression.

WHO, UN, UNICEF, UNAIDS, UN Development Program (UNDP), UNESCO, International Telecommunication Union (ITU), UN Global Pulse Initiative and International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), together with the governments of Indonesia, Thailand and Uruguay held a webinar on the sidelines of the 75th UN General Assembly to draw attention to the damage caused by the spread of misinformation and misinformation, the latter being deliberate misinformation to advance the agenda.

“As soon as the virus spread across the country, inaccurate and even dangerous messages spread wildly on social media, leaving people confused, misled and misinformed,” said UN Secretary-General António Guterres. ”Our initiative, called“ Verified, ”fights misinformation with the truth. We work with media partners, individuals, influencers and social media platforms to spread content that promotes science, offers solutions and inspires solidarity. This will be particularly critical as we work to build public confidence in the safety and efficacy of future COVID-19 vaccines. We need a ‘folk vaccine’ that is affordable and accessible to everyone. “

“Misinformation and misinformation endanger health and lives and undermine trust in science, institutions and health systems,” said WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. “To fight the pandemic, we need trust and solidarity, and when there is mistrust, there is much less solidarity. False information is hampering the response to a pandemic, so we need to join forces to fight it and promote science-based health advice. The same principles that apply to the response to COVID-19 apply to infodemia management. We must prevent it, detect it and respond to it, together and in solidarity. ”

“In addition to having a direct impact on the pandemic’s reactions, misinformation undermines public confidence in democratic processes and institutions and exacerbates social divisions,” said UNDP administrator Achim Steiner. “It is one of the most worrying management challenges of our time. UNDP is actively working with Member States, UN colleagues and other partners to find comprehensive responses that respect human rights. “

“Disinformation is one of the fastest growing challenges facing children today,” said Henrietta Fore, UNICEF Executive Director. “It exploits cracks in trust in societies and institutions and further deepens them, undermining trust in science and medicine and dividing communities. In its most dangerous forms, such as when it convinces parents not to vaccinate their children, it can even be fatal. Because misinformation is more of a symptom than a disease, confronting it requires more than just providing the truth. It also requires trust between leaders, communities and individuals. “

“COVID-19 can only be won by the facts, science and solidarity of the community,” said CEO Winnie Byanyima. “Disinformation perpetuates stigma and discrimination and must not come in a way that ensures the protection of human rights and that people at risk and those who are marginalized have access to health and social services.”

“Since the start of the pandemic, UNESCO has mobilized its international networks of media partners, journalists, fact-checkers, community radio stations and experts to provide citizens with the means to combat false information and rumors – phenomena that have exacerbated the pandemics,” she said. Audrey Azoulay, Director-General of UNESCO. “Collective mobilization to promote quality and reliable information, while strictly ensuring respect for freedom of expression, is crucial. A free, independent and pluralistic press is needed more than ever.”

“Trust is the cornerstone of our digital world,” said Houlin Zhao, Secretary General of the International Telecommunication Union. “Building on the long-standing WHO-ITU BeHe @ lthy BeMobile initiative, the ITU has been working with national telecommunications and health ministries and mobile network operators since the beginning of this crisis to send text messages to people who may not have Internet access. them with scientific and evidence-based health advice COVID-19 directly on their cell phones. “

WHO and partners called on countries to get involved and listen to their communities as they develop their national action plans and empower communities to build trust and resilience to false information.

“Engaging communities on how they perceive the disease and the response is crucial to building trust and ending the outbreak,” said Jagan Chapagain, IFRC Secretary General. “If our response does not reflect the concerns and perceptions of communities, the affected populations will not consider us relevant or trust them, and the response to the epidemic will risk failure. More than ever, local emergency services are leading this crisis. We need to recognize the amazing role they play in understanding and acting on local knowledge and community feedback. “

The co-hosts also called on the media, social media platforms, civil society leaders and influential people to step up their actions to spread accurate information and prevent the spread of misinformation and misinformation. Access to accurate information and the free exchange of ideas online and offline are key to enabling effective and credible responses to public health.

“The UN Global Pulse was established ten years ago within the UN system to pioneer the use of real-time insights and anticipate them to protect vulnerable communities in times of crisis,” said Robert Kirkpatrick, UN Global Pulse Director, United Nations Secretary-General. people. General Big Data and Artificial Intelligence (AI) Initiative. “During this pandemic, we have seen a tremendous increase in demand for advanced analytics from across the UN system and member states. We will continue to work with WHO and other partners to help identify and combat misinformation and misinformation.”

Note to editors

The WHO defines infodemia as an excessive amount of information, both online and offline. It contains accurate information as well as incorrect and misinformation.