Question of the Freedom of Information and of the Press in Times of Emergency

A/RES/425(V)View PDF

Who adopted this document and its mandates?

A Resolution of the General Assembly, published in 1951.

What subjects does this mandate have?

3 subjects

Freedom of Information Freedom of the Press State of Emergency

What’s in this document?

5 operative paragraphs

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Considering that peace among nations rests on the goodwill of all peoples and governments and that tolerance and understanding are prerequisites for establishing goodwill in the international field,

Adopts the qeclaration of the Economic and Social Council contained in its resolution 306 B ( XI) of 9 August 19?0 to the _effect that this type of interf~rence constitutes a v10lation of the accepted principles of freedom of information;

Condemns measures of this nature as a denial of ~he right of ~11. persons to be fully informed concernmg news, opmmns and ideas regardless of frontiers ;

3 .. I mJites the governments of all Member States to refram from such interference with the right of their peoples to freedom of information;

Invi,tes all governments to refrain from radio bro~dcasts that would mean unfair attacks or slanders agamst oth~r peoples anywhere and in so doing to conform stnctly to an ethical conduct in the interest of world peace by reporting facts truly and objectively; ~· 5. ln-z:i~es also Memb~r States to give every pos- J!ble fac1hty. s?. that thetr peoples may know objectively the a';t1V1t1es_ of the Unit~~ Nations in promoting peace 3:n~, m particular, to fac1htate the reception and transth1ss10n of the United Nations official broadcasts.

14 December 1950.

: See r~lution 217 A (III). . Rad~ee CFi,r,al Act of the International Telecommunication and '° . 011/e,.enc~s, Atlantic City, 1947, International Telecommumcaton Umon, Geneva. 10 See documents E/ AC.7 /SR.135 to 139, E/SR.4-05 and E/CN.4/Sub.1/SR.68 to 86.

Question of the freedom of information and of the Press in times of emergency

Considering that freedom of information and of the Press is one of the fundamental freedoms and sh0uld be advanced and safeguarded,

C onsidcring that limitations might be placed on t_his freedom in emergencies or on the pretext of emergencies,

Recommends to all Member States that, when they are compelled to declare a state of emergency, measures to limit freedom of information and of the Press shall be taken only in the most exceptional circumstances and then only to the e..xtent strictly required by the situation.

14 December 1950.

426 (V). Draft Convention on Freedom of Information

Appoints a Committee consisting of the representatives of the following fifteen countries : Cuba, Ecuador, Egypt, France, India, Lebanon, Mexico, the Netherlands, Pakistan, the Philippines, Saudi Arabia, the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, the United States of America and Yugoslavia, which shall meet at the Headquarters of the United Nations as soon as possible, but not later than 1 March 1951, to prepare a draft Corwention on Freedom of Information,

taking into consideration the draft13 approved by the United Nations Conference on Freedom of Information held at Geneva from 23 March to 21 April 1948; the text14 voted during the second part of the third session of the General Assemblv; article 14 of the provisional text15 of the draft Fir;t International Covenant on Human Rights; and the observations16 contained in the summary records of the meetings of the Third Committee dealing with the question;

Requests the Committee to report to the Economic and Social Council at its thirteenth session on the results of its work and to submit recommendations, in particular, with regard to the advisability of con-

11 See Official Records of the Economic and Social Council Fifth Year, Eleventh Session, Supplement No. 5, annex IV. ' 12 See Official Records of the Economic and Social Council, Eleventh Session, 404th meeting, and document E/ AC.7 /SR. 139. 13 See Official Records of the General Assembly, Fourth Session, Thi,-d Committee, Annex, documents A/961 and A/C.3/ 518, and A/C.3/518/Corr.1.

H See resolution 277 A (III). 15 See Official Records of the Economic and Social Council, Fifth Year, Eleventh Session, Supplement No. 5, annex I. 16 See Official Records of the General Assembly, Fifth Session, Third Committee, 320th-324th meetings.

Who adopted this document and its mandates?

What subjects does this mandate have?

What’s in this document?

426 (V). Draft Convention on Freedom of Information

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