Comms Industry Alliance Calls for ‘Responsible Communication’ to Become 18th SDG

Last month, one year after the release of a
report
from United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres on information
integrity on digital platforms, the UN launched recommendations for urgent
actions against misinformation, disinformation and hate speech.

“The world must respond to the harm caused by the spread of online hate and lies
while robustly upholding human rights,” Guterres
said
at the launch of the UN Global Principles for Information
Integrity — a framework for
coordinated international action to make information spaces safer and more
humane.

Misinformation, disinformation, hate speech and other risks to the information
ecosystem are fueling conflict, threatening democracy and human rights, and
undermining public health and climate action; disinformation and societal
fragmentation were both recognized as top Global Risks for
2024
by the World Economic Forum. Their proliferation is now being supercharged
by the rapid rise of readily available artificial intelligence (AI)
technologies
— increasing the threat to groups often targeted in information spaces,
including children.

“The United Nations Global Principles for Information Integrity aim to empower
people to demand their rights,” Guterres said in June. “At a time when billions
of people are exposed to false narratives, distortions and lies, these
principles lay out a clear path forward — firmly rooted in human rights,
including the rights to freedom of expression and opinion.”

The UN chief issued an urgent appeal to government, tech companies, advertisers
and the PR industry to step up and take responsibility for the spread and
monetization of content that results in harm. Guidelines include:

• Governments, tech companies, advertisers, media and other stakeholders
  should refrain from using, supporting or amplifying disinformation and
  hate speech for any purpose.

• Governments should provide timely access to information; guarantee a
  free, viable, independent and plural media landscape; and ensure strong
  protections for journalists, researchers and civil society.

• Tech companies should ensure safety and privacy by design in all
  products, alongside consistent application of policies and resources
  across countries and languages — with particular attention to the needs of
  those groups often targeted online. They should elevate crisis response and
  take measures to support information integrity around elections.

• Tech companies and AI developers should ensure meaningful transparency
  and allow researchers and academics access to data while respecting user
  privacy, commission publicly available independent audits and co-develop
  industry accountability frameworks.

• Governments, tech companies, AI developers and advertisers should take
  special measures to protect and empower children; with governments
  providing resources for parents, guardians and educators.

Guterres’ call came just after a call from 10 distinguished climate researchers
for the UN to give the SDGs a much-needed
refresh
— to include more input from communities affected by the goals and account for
some of the disruptive, global trends and forces that have emerged since 2015.
While not mentioned explicitly by the researchers, the need to ensure
responsible, accurate, inclusive information has become a chief concern in
recent years.

An 18th SDG

And this week, a global coalition of PR and communications-management
associations posed Guterres’ challenge to the UN itself.

The Global Alliance for Public Relations and Communication
Management (GAPRCM) — a not-for-profit,
voluntary coalition representing over 360,000 practitioners, academics and
students across 126 countries — together with over 100 endorsements from
organizations around the world, has renewed its
call
for the UN to recognize the importance of responsible communication by
establishing it as the 18th Sustainable Development Goal (SDG).

Background

The GAPRCM argues communication is the cornerstone of human interaction and
societal development. It builds communities, facilitates the exchange of ideas,
and supports democratic governance. However, the rise of fake news and
misinformation threatens these foundational elements — eroding trust in
institutions, companies and individuals.

The Global Alliance has created a strategic framework for implementing a new SDG
centered on Responsible Communication — including key targets, indicators and
stakeholders.

While the digital era drives and disrupts societal transformation at a massive
scale and rapid pace unmatched in history — an issue that came to the fore
during the COVID-19
pandemic — the SDGs remain
silent on the subject. So, in September 2023, the GAPRCM made a direct appeal to
Secretary-General Guterres for a separate SDG focused on communication.

They weren’t alone in their thinking: That year, Jan
Servaes (former UNESCO Chair in
Communication for Sustainable Social Change) and Muhammad Jameel
Yusha’u
(Harvard Kennedy School) edited and published two volumes of the book, SDG
18: Communication for
All — which detailed
arguments for a SDG dedicated to trustworthy communication, given that
communication is included in the UN’s list of fundamental human
rights.

Principles of responsible communication

Responsible communication ensures that interactions are based on truth,
fostering a climate of trust that is essential for the harmonious coexistence of
diverse communities.

The GAPRCM says responsible communication must include:

• Freedom of opinion and press.

• An ethical approach to organizational and institutional communications,
  based on facts.

• Fighting against fake news, misinformation and any kind of propaganda.

• Educating individuals to use their ‘communication powers’ — especially
  through social media — responsibly.

• Public and private support for rigorous and accountable journalism.

• Content that supports diversity, inclusion and gender equality.

• Empathy to those who suffer from hunger, poverty, lack of opportunities,
  war, forced migrations and all discriminations.

• Positive and inclusive language.

By promoting accurate information and ethical dialogue, and combating
misinformation and propaganda, responsible communication helps build and
maintain trust. It also includes efforts to enhance media
literacy
by educating individuals on recognizing and countering fake news.

Democracy thrives on informed citizen participation; responsible communication
supports democratic governance, and promotes global understanding and empathy by
highlighting diverse perspectives and shared human experiences.

The case for a new SDG

The GAPRCM highlights a need for a more bottom-up, deliberative,
multi-stakeholder participatory approach to sustainable development.

An 18th SDG — the proposed goal of which would be to “Ensure responsible
communication and promote trust, informed dialogue, and social cohesion to
support sustainable development” — would:

1. Address communication gaps in the current SDGs. While communication is a
key component of many existing SDGs — especially in SDG 4 (Quality
Education) and 16 (Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions) — there is
no dedicated goal that comprehensively addresses its role in sustainable
development. A new SDG on responsible communication would provide a focused
framework for action and ensuring that communication is leveraged to support all
SDGs.

2. Respond to emerging global challenges. The digital age has fueled the
spread of misinformation and the erosion of trust in institutions. A dedicated
SDG on responsible communication would address these challenges by promoting
ethical journalism, digital literacy and the responsible use of communication
technologies.

3. Align with international frameworks and agreements. The proposed SDG
aligns with international frameworks such as the Universal Declaration of Human
Rights —
which recognizes the right to freedom of opinion and expression — and the
principles of ethical journalism promoted by UNESCO. It also supports global
initiatives on internet governance and digital inclusion.

The key targets would be as follows:

1. Promote media, public relations and information literacy (MIL): Ensure
   that individuals and organizations possess the skills to critically evaluate
   information and engage responsibly in the digital environment.

2. Support ethics and professionalism: Promote standards for ethical media
   practices, and responsible content creation across all communication
   professions.

3. Combat misinformation: Strengthen mechanisms to identify, counter, and
   mitigate the impacts of misinformation.

4. Enhance trust in institutions: Promote transparency and accountability
   in public and private institutions.

5. Foster inclusive communication: Ensure that communication platforms and
   content are inclusive and accessible to all, including marginalized and
   vulnerable communities.

The framework

The GAPRCM calls on global leaders, policymakers and stakeholders to
recognize the critical importance of communication in achieving a sustainable
future — and to take collective action towards this goal by establishing SDG 18
and taking a multi-pronged approach toward achieving it:

1. Multi-stakeholder collaboration. Collaboration among governments,
international organizations, civil society, academia, the private sector and
media organizations will facilitate the sharing of resources, expertise and best
practices.

2. Policy and regulatory frameworks. Governments should develop and enforce
policies and regulations that promote responsible communication, protect freedom
of expression, and ensure digital inclusion — including laws to combat
misinformation, protect data privacy and support digital-literacy programs.

3. Capacity building and education. This includes training for journalists,
communicators, educators and community leaders; as well as integrating media,
communications and information literacy into educational curricula at all
levels.

4. Technological innovation and infrastructure. Promoting technological
innovation and investing in communication infrastructure — including expanding
broadband access, developing affordable communication devices, and supporting
digital-inclusion initiatives — are essential to bridging the digital divide.

5. Monitoring and evaluation. Establishing robust monitoring and evaluation
mechanisms — developing indicators, collecting data, and conducting regular
assessments to ensure accountability and inform policy adjustments — will be
vital to track progress towards the proposed SDG.