Qatar Calls for Concerted Efforts to Tackle Online Piracy
New York / Information Office / October 24
The State of Qatar has called for concerted efforts to tackle online piracy and its impact at various levels, stressing the importance of avoiding the misuse of modern technology reflected in this dangerous phenomenon that threatens all.
This came in Qatar's statement delivered by Fatima Mubarak Al Nasr, member of Qatar's delegation participating in the 72nd session of the United Nations General Assembly on "Item 57 "Questions Related to Information" in New York.
She added that the Department of Public Information and the network of United Nations information centers played a pivotal role in supporting and making the Organization's efforts through awareness-raising, education, promotion and networking with partners from various sectors in order to enhance the image, credibility and reputation of the United Nations and its important work in various fields. This role entails the responsibility of the department and the centers to be transparent, objective, accurate and impartial, she said.
Fatima Mubarak Al Nasr noted the importance of achieving equality among the official languages in the work of the Department of Public Information and the Secretariat General in general, which helps communicate effectively not only with delegations but also with people in general, especially in developing countries, adding that while significant progress has been made in the Arab section of the UN website, there is still a need for further improvements and the allocation of the necessary resources.
Al Nasr said that providing useful information is not limited to current news and events. In many instances, there is an urgent need to access historical and old information and documents, she said. Therefore, the digitization of historical UN documents is of great importance as it is a legacy of humanity and a useful reference for member states, the Secretariat, researchers and civil society, she added, saying that they should be accessible to everyone everywhere online. "Qatar has supported this project by $5 million, and we are pleased to see its signs already realized. It can be previewed after the opening of the new UN Digital Library website within Dag Hammarskjold Library. We look forward to the completion of this vital project aimed at digitizing the three million documents identified as the most important historical documents of the organization."
She pointed out that access to accurate and reliable information is of great importance to states, organizations and individuals, stressing that misuse of information or the transmission of false information is dangerous and needs to be guarded against. Action must be taken to prevent the abuse of modern technology, which is reflected in the phenomenon of electronic piracy, she said, adding that no one is immune to this danger, whether companies, institutions or even countries and this is especially important to us. In May, Qatar News Agency suffered an online piracy crime in which false news was posted on its website, which is the primary source of reliable official information. "We believe that online piracy is a threat to all, and we call for concerted efforts to tackle it and its impact at various levels."
Concluding, Al Nasr expressed her appreciation to the Department of Information and the UN bodies concerned with the delivery of useful information which reflected positively on the performance of the United Nations and serves the interests of the organization and member states.