World Development Information Day is observed globally every year on October 24 to focus international attention on development challenges and strengthen global cooperation to address them. Its main goal is to improve the dissemination of information and mobilize public opinion, particularly among young people, about pressing socio-economic development issues.
It focuses on the efforts for advancing economic and social progress, promoting digital inclusion, expanding access to knowledge, and accelerating progress toward the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). An essential part of development work involves mobilizing public opinion, in both developing and developed countries, in support of established goals and policies.
Governments of the most advanced countries must continue and intensify their efforts to deepen public understanding of the interdependence of development initiatives and the need to help developing countries accelerate their economic and social progress. Similarly, developing-country governments should continue to raise public awareness at all levels of the benefits and sacrifices involved, and encourage their full participation in achieving development goals and objectives.
The mobilization of public opinion should be primarily the responsibility of national bodies. Governments may consider establishing new national agencies or strengthening existing ones, aimed at mobilizing public opinion, as a long-term measure to steer curricula increasingly toward development. Given that leadership can contribute significantly to mobilizing public opinion, the formulation of concrete goals by competent authorities is indispensable.
The role of the United Nations has been to assist the various national media, particularly by providing them with adequate background information from which they can draw both content and inspiration for their work.
In 1972, the General Assembly established World Development Information Day to draw the world’s attention to development problems and the need for strengthened international cooperation to address them (resolution 3038(XXVII) ). The Assembly decided that the date of this day should coincide with United Nations Day, 24 October, also a date when the International Development Strategy for the Second United Nations Development Decade was adopted in 1970.
The Assembly considered that better dissemination of information and mobilization of public opinion, particularly among young people, would lead to greater awareness of development issues, thereby promoting efforts in the field of international development cooperation.
Since the 1970s, governments have committed themselves to the fundamental goals enshrined in the UN Charter: create conditions of stability and well-being and ensure a minimum standard of living consistent with human dignity through economic and social progress and development. The launch of the first United Nations Development Decade in 1961 marked an important global effort to give concrete substance to this solemn commitment. Since then, efforts have continued to take steps to this end.
Unfortunately, the standard of living for millions of people around the world remains very low: they often suffer from malnutrition, lack of education, unemployment, and a lack of basic services. But we must not allow current frustrations and disappointments to cloud the vision or hinder development goals.
The success of international development activities depends to a large extent on improving the overall international situation, which requires concrete progress, particularly in promoting equal political rights, economic, social and cultural for all members of society.
The ultimate goal of development must be to achieve sustained improvement in individual well-being and deliver benefits for all. If undue privilege, extreme wealth, and social injustice persist, development fails in its essential purpose. The international community must rise to the challenge presented by the current era of unprecedented opportunities provided by scientific and technological advances, so that they can be shared equitably by all countries and, in turn, contribute to accelerated economic development worldwide.
Developing countries must continue to increase their spending on research and development. They must also continue their joint efforts, with adequate assistance from the rest of the world, to expand their capacity to apply science and technology to development in a way that significantly reduces the technological gap.
It is essential to expand international cooperation for the establishment, strengthening and promotion of scientific research and technological activities that influence the expansion and modernization of economies. Special attention should be paid to the promotion of country-specific technologies and research efforts focused on specific problems, solutions to which could have a catalytic effect in accelerating development.
Information and communication technologies have the potential to provide new solutions to development challenges, particularly in the context of globalization, and can foster economic growth, competitiveness, access to information and knowledge, Poverty eradication and social inclusion, which will help to accelerate the integration of all countries, especially developing countries, particularly the least-developed ones, into the global economy.
Moreover, it is well established that information and communication technologies present new opportunities and challenges, and that there is an urgent need to address the major obstacles faced by developing countries in accessing new technologies. such as insufficient resources, infrastructure, education, capacity, investment and connectivity, as well as issues related to ownership, standards and technology flows. In this regard, we call on all stakeholders to provide adequate resources, strengthen capacities and facilitate technology transfer to developing countries on mutually agreed terms.