OPEN CALL TO THE PR PROFESSION TO ADD A NEW GOAL TO THE SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS (SDG) OF UNITED NATIONS 

OPEN CALL TO THE PR PROFESSION TO ADD A NEW GOAL TO THE SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS (SDG) OF UNITED NATIONS 

 

Considering that:

 

-  Relationships between people must take place in a climate of trust which facilitates the exchange of opinions and agreement based on different ideological and cultural positions. Coexistence requires basic consensus, such as human rights, respect for institutions, separation of powers and individual sovereignty. Such consensus requires that the truth is always the first version of the facts, in such a way that lying is a marginal behaviour and, as such, easily identifiable.

 

-  However, fake news have become a threat to the coexistence of people and communities. Many researches have scientifically shown that lies circulate faster than truths on social networks. The general decline in the credibility of institutions, companies and individuals induces, in turn, a loss of confidence in political and economic systems. Mistrust and discredit undermine the foundations on which democracy is built, which is still far from framing the coexistence of the majority of the world's peoples.

 

- Trust is a good that is built from top to bottom. The loss of trust in the institutions that govern us is transferred to the relationships that we maintain both in the private and professional spheres. This is confirmed by various sociological researches in different countries of the world. Globalization has spread very quickly this mistrust and facilitated attitudes of manipulation and propaganda.

 

- Communication comes from the Indo-European words "ko" and "mein", which mean "to create community". Communication professionals have a responsibility to create and care for communities, from those that make up our organizations to the societies of which they are a part.

 

Global Alliance Alliance for Public Relations and Communication Management invites Public Relations (PR) organizations all over the world to support a call to the United Nations (UN) to add a new goal to Sustainable Development Goals (SDG): “Responsible communication”.

That new goal would be the eighteenth of the SDG as part of the 2030 agenda.

 

Responsible communication means:

 

  • Open dialogue about global challenges, such as climate change, poverty reduction and democracy.

  • Consider dialogue as the most powerful weapon.

  • Freedom of opinion and press.

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

  • Fight against fake news and any kind of propaganda.

  • Educate individuals to use their ‘communication powers’, especially through social media.

  • Public and private support for rigorous journalism.

  • Support diversity at the deep level and equality of genders.

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

  • Positive and inclusive language.

 

It is an open and public call to use responsible communication as a way to boost the full 2030 agenda and all SDG.


The executive board of the Global Alliance for Public Relations and Communication Management

October, 2022. World PR & Communications Month #PRCOMMSMONTH

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