Questions relating to information A/RES/73/102 A-B Reaffirming its resolution 13 (I) of 13 February 1946, by which the General Assembly established the Department of Public Information, with a view to promoting to the greatest possible extent an informed understanding of the work and purposes of the United Nations among the peoples of the world, and all other relevant resolutions of the Assembly related to the activities of the Department, Emphasizing that the contents of public information and communications should be placed at the heart of the strategic management of the United Nations and that a culture of communications and transparency should permeate all levels of the Organization as a means of fully informing the peoples of the world of the aims and activities of the United Nations, in accordance with the purposes and principles enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations, in order to create broad-based global support for the United Nations, Stressing that the primary mission of the Department of Public Information is to provide, through its outreach activities, accurate, impartial, comprehensive, balanced, timely, relevant and multilingual information to the public on the tasks and responsibilities of the United Nations in order to strengthen international support for the activities of the Organization with the greatest transparency, Recalling its resolutions 72/90 A and B of 7 December 2017, which provided an opportunity to take due steps to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of the Department of Public Information and to maximize the use of its resources, Expressing its concern that the gap in information and communications technology between the developed and the developing countries has continued to widen and that vast segments of the population in developing countries are not benefiting from the information and communications technologies that are currently available, and in this regard underlining the necessity of rectifying the imbalances in the present development of and access to information and communications technologies in order to create a more just, equitable, accessible and effective environment in this regard, Recognizing that developments in information and communications technologies open vast new opportunities for economic growth and social development and can play an important role in the er adication of poverty in developing countries, and at the same time emphasizing that the development of these technologies poses challenges and risks and could lead to further rising inequalities within and among countries, Recalling its resolution 71/328 of 11 September 2017 on multilingualism, and emphasizing the importance of making appropriate use of all the official languages of the United Nations in all the activities of the Department of Public Informa tion, including in coordination with other departments of the Secretariat, with the aim of eliminating the disparity between the use of English and the use of the five other official languages, as well as the importance of ensuring the full and equitable t reatment of all the official languages of the United Nations in all the activities of the Department, I Introduction 1. Requests the Secretary-General, in respect of the public information policies and activities of the United Nations, to continue to i mplement fully the recommendations contained in relevant resolutions; 2. Reaffirms that the United Nations remains the indispensable foundation of a peaceful and just world and that its voice must be heard in a clear and effective manner, and emphasizes the essential role of the Department of Public Information of the Secretariat in this context; 18-21445 3/19