The United Nations General Assembly 2023

The BBC is in New York to mark the moment and bear witness to renewed calls to action. Join the prestigious Concordia Summit to examine how misinformation threatens democracy and development, and what can be done to address it.

A Global Guideline for Digital Information

Tuesday 19 September, West Stage

14:35 – 14:55 (EDT)

With misinformation and disinformation spreading rampantly across all levels of societal discourse and leading public confidence in our democratic institutions to be on the decline, one solution is to collaborate globally on an ‘internet for trust’, in the form of a newly called-for UN Code of Conduct. That is, a set of global guidelines to be used by governments, regulatory and judicial bodies, civil society, and the technology and social media industry to improve the reliability of our information ecosystem while promoting freedom of speech and human rights. How can we ensure the development of a global guideline is an inclusive expression? Why can’t content moderation alone go far enough? What will be the immediate impact on the tech field? And why has the UN decided to produce a guideline to confront disinformation now?

Featuring

• Simon Bishop, Chief Executive Officer, BBC Media Action

Simon Bishop became CEO of BBC Media Action in July 2023. He is a passionate advocate for the eradication of extreme poverty and has more than 25 years’ experience in international development. Previously he was CEO at The Power of Nutrition (2021-2023), Deputy Chief Executive of global children’s charity Plan International UK and Special Adviser to the UK Government’s Secretary of State for International Development. He is also currently Chair of the Coalition for Global Prosperity, Co-Chair of the United Against Malnutrition and Hunger Alliance and a Trustee of the John Lewis and Partners Foundation.

Simon has also been Strategy Adviser to The Prince of Wales’ Charitable Foundation and completed a number of roles with The Shell Foundation, The United Nations Foundation and the BBC. As a Fulbright Scholar, Simon completed Masters degrees in International Relations and Journalism at Columbia University, and also holds a Masters in Economics and Geography from Edinburgh University. He is married with two children.

He is on Twitter @SiBishop

• Melissa Fleming, Under-Secretary-General for Global Communications, United Nations

Melissa Fleming is the Under-Secretary-General for Global Communications at the United Nations, taking up her functions as of 1 September 2019.

From 2009 until August 2019, Ms. Fleming served UNHCR as Head of Global Communications and Spokesperson for the High Commissioner. At UNHCR, she led global media outreach campaigns, social media engagement and a multimedia news service to distribute and place stories designed to generate empathy and stir action for refugees.

Ms. Fleming is a frequent interview guest on international media platforms, and her talks are featured on TED.com. She is author of the book, A Hope More Powerful than the Sea, and host of the award-winning podcast, Awake at Night.

• Nighat Dad, Founder, Digital Rights Foundation

Nighat Dad is a Pakistani lawyer, member of the Oversight Board, and a founder of Digital Rights Foundation, a non-profit organisation focused on cyber harassment, data protection and free speech online in Pakistan and South Asia. As a feminist and pioneer for women’s rights activism in Pakistan, Dad has raised awareness of Pakistani patriarchy and illuminated her own experience as a women engaged in digital rights activism. Her accomplishments include being named a Next Generation Leader by Time Magazine in 2015, the Dutch Human Rights Tulip Award in 2016, a TED Global Fellowship in 2017, and nomination as a Young Global Leader by World Economic Forum in 2018. Most recently, she was listed among 2019’s 21 Young Leaders from Asia by Asia Society.