On 22 March on the margins of the 55th Session of the United Nations Human Rights Council the Permanent Missions of Latvia, Ukraine and Lithuania organized a discussion “Safeguarding Information Integrity: Exploring State Strategies”.
The aim of the discussion was to present different perspectives on human rights-based strategies in safeguarding information integrity and countering disinformation against a backdrop of the rapid evolution of new technologies and in challenging environments, such as during armed conflicts and election campaigns.
Ms. Liubov Tsybulska, founder of the Centre for Strategic Communication and Information Security of Ukraine, focused on countering disinformation in armed conflicts, in particular on Russian disinformation techniques as an integral part of Russia’s war in Ukraine with aim of polarizing society in Ukraine and diverting the world’s attention from the real situation on the ground since Russia’s invasion. Dr. Rihards Bambals, Head of Strategic Communication at State Chancellery of the Republic of Latvia, stressed the importance of developing comprehensive strategies to counter disinformation at the state level, focusing on the whole-of-society approach. It is crucial to bolster societies in order to tackle negative impact of disinformation on achieving sustainable development goals, combating climate changes or resolving armed conflicts. Mr. Alberto Fernandez Gibaja, Head of Programme of Digitalization and Democracy at intergovernmental organization “International IDEA”, delved into the issue of negative effects of disinformation on electoral processes, focusing on dissemination of fake news, weaponization of information and so-called political influencers. In this regard, Mr. Gibaja emphasized importance of strengthening digital, media and information literacy of societies.
The panelists concluded that promotion of international cooperation to counter negative impact of disinformation on the enjoyment and realization of human rights remains of utmost importance and is the way towards the final truth.
Latvia, running as a candidate for a non-permanent member’s seat on the UN Security Council, advocates for the security, sustainability and development of digital technologies. Together with its partners, Latvia promotes the resilience of the digital environment to potential risks posed by artificial intelligence to the integrity of information.
The project was co-financed under the lobby campaign of Latvia’s candidacy for an elected seat on the United Nations Security Council for the term of 2026–2027.