Discussion on countering disinformation took place in Geneva
On 2 June, at the World Summit on Information Society Forum, Lithuania initiated the discussion on the topic of countering disinformation.
The event focused on the ways to reach common approach to countering disinformation online and offline, stressing the need to ensure respect for human rights, facilitate access to diverse media sources, as well as the importance of sharing good practices and cooperation between different stakeholders.
Lithuania’s experience in countering disinformation was presented by the Vice-Minister of Economy and Innovation Ms Eglė Markevičiūtė, who noted that the spread of disinformation significantly increased in the context of Russia’s aggression against Ukraine. During the discussion, representatives of the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights , European External Action Service, European Digital Media Observatory, as well as Permanent Representative of Ukraine in Geneva shared their insights on the topic. The discussion was moderated by the Permanent Representative of Lithuania in Geneva Ambassador Darius Staniulis.
The participants stressed the complexity of the disinformation phenomena, importance of the access to information and diversity of its sources, dangers of the information manipulation and problematic aspects of content restriction. It was noted that increasing the resilience of the society so that it is able to identify facts and critically assess the overall information they receive, is one of the most important elements in countering disinformation.
The event was organized by the Permanent Missions of Lithuania, Ukraine, and the Delegation of the European Union in Geneva together with the Permanent Missions of Japan, Latvia and Poland.
