Information Integrity

for an Open, Inclusive Public Sphere and Informed Civic Engagement

Information Integrity 

There is growing evidence that information pollution - the spread of false, misleading, manipulated and otherwise harmful information - is threatening our ability to develop and maintain well-governed and peaceful societies.  

Information pollution undermines the social contract and erodes trust in democratic processes and institutions, leading to democratic backsliding, human rights violations, social and political polarization, and resistance to public policy.  

The internet has created opportunities for increased access to information, but information pollution spreads far faster and farther than information from trustworthy and credible sources. This impacts on the public’s ability to make informed  decisions, participate in democratic processes, and contribute to the building of inclusive, peaceful and just societies.  

Information pollution is therefore a global problem, and in the words of the UN Secretary General, an “existential risk to humanity”. It impedes our ability to collectively address challenges such as the climate emergency and violent conflict. The lethal impact of disinformation was particularly evident throughout the COVID-19  pandemic.  

UNDP is in a unique position to drive innovation and learning on Information Integrity on all levels – by creating spaces for global policy discussions through forums,  coalitions, and convening experts and decision makers; by engaging in much needed research into the drivers, trends, and potential solutions in the regions where UNDP operates; and through on the ground implementation at country level.  

UNDPs engagement on information integrity is framed within four strategic outcomes: 1) Strengthened capacity of public institutions to promote access to reliable and accurate information sources, 2) Improved media capacity to effectively manage information pollution, 3) Increased public resilience to information pollution and 4) Development of evidence-based, proportionate and rights-based information integrity policies.  

By engaging in these four areas, UNDP aims to promote healthier information ecosystems and greater societal resilience to information pollution in all its forms, thus contributing to the better functioning of democratic, inclusive, and peaceful societies.  

    Our Work

    Since 2020, the Oslo Governance Centre has focused its attention on combating information pollution. The recent Covid-19 pandemic saw a surge in information pollution relating to Covid-19, endangering people’s health and undermining governments and health systems’ capacities. To offer immediate support to UNDP country offices globally, OGC created a Guidance Note on information pollution outlining rapid responses and long-term strategies.  

    In 2022 OGC has developed strategic guidance to provide coherence both strategically and programmatically to UNDP’s work in this field. The guidance note explores information integrity as it relates to UNDP’s mandate and thematic areas of interest and provides a conceptual framework of terminology and definitions. At the programmatic level, it provides practical guidance for context analysis and programme design.  

      Research

      Gendered disinformation in Crisis – case studies on Ukraine and Moldova 

      Given the threat that gendered misinformation poses to democratic values, the fundamental importance of the strengthening of democratic governance to the UNDP mandate and in line with momentum that gendered disinformation is gathering within the UN, OGC have started an exploratory assessment of how women are targeted through disinformation in crisis settings. The research will identify and analyse the narratives that are produced and subsequently the potential impact these have on the crisis and on women’s safety, wellbeing, and engagement.  

      The research will be both qualitative and quantitative and focus on:  

      a. Trends and patterns of gendered disinformation in the crisis context  

      b. Disinformation targeting Ukrainian women in the ongoing war and refugee crisis  

      Expected publication: September 2022 

      Mapping of disinformation in the European Countries and Independent States region 

      Counter-disinformation initiatives in the ECIS region are numerous and diverse. Through desk research and analysis of policies, legal documents, and interviews with local actors, UNDP’s Istanbul Regional Hub and OGC are creating a report. The report will highlight several observations about the existing responses to information pollution, gaps, and areas of engagement for relevant stakeholders. The report will also suggest areas of strategic action and engagement by the UNDP and other stakeholders.  

      Expected publication: August 2022 

      Information Pollution in the context of Ukraine conflict  

      In March 2022, OGC conducted a desk review of online information pollution about the war in Ukraine. The study focused on understanding the disinformation tactics used to advance the agendas on both sides of the conflict, the main narratives emerging, and how these narratives reach their audience. In addition, the report analysed key social media responses. The main trends identified were: (i) justifying the war; (ii) diminishing the war; (iii) fear and confusion mongering; (iv) glorifying own camp/demonizing the enemy. The main patterns observed during the analysis align with previous findings on information warfare techniques in Central and Eastern Europe which combine the use of disinformation, cyber warfare, AI-generated content and the active role of state-owned media and official social media accounts. 

      Information Pollution Mapping Programme 

       

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      Image from presentation by UNDP Chile 

      In 2020, UNDP launched the Information Pollution Mapping Programme. The programme was managed by the Oslo Governance Centre with financial support from the Government of Norway and it was a response to demand from UNDP Country Offices to better understand the drivers behind disinformation, how it is produced and then disseminated across different socio-political contexts. The programme aimed to enhanced understanding of national information landscapes and encourage collective learning and best practice between UNDP Country Offices. 40 UNDP country offices from all five regions applied for the programme, and the following countries were selected: Cambodia, Chile, Lebanon, Samoa, Sierra Leone, Ukraine, Venezuela, and Panama. 

      Kenya Multi-stakeholder Pilot  

      UNDP, with financing from the Danish MFA’s Tech for Democracy initiative, is currently implementing a project to measure impact of digital responses to disinformation and other harmful content in electoral processes. The Kenya pilot initiative will develop an M&E framework for use with the 2022 Kenya Election to assess how digital tools meaningfully contribute to the wider objectives of electoral support such as enhancing transparency or mitigating possibility of electoral violence. The pilot will specifically look at UNDP’s iVerify platform.  

        Events

        #OGCconference22: Power, Politics and Peace

        Despite the progress in human prosperity over the last 30 years, the tide is now turning dramatically. We face several interconnected emergencies. The climate, nature, food, energy, inequality, poverty, and health crises are near-universal phenomena. If we do not find pathways to swift and legitimate action, we will face a crisis of crises: a crisis of governance.

        In May 2022, UNDP Oslo Governance Centre had the pleasure of inviting attendees from all over the world to the one-day hybrid conference Power, Politics & Peace to share new research and sharp insights. Together in the conference, we began to answer some of the critical questions:

        1. What is needed to overcome the scourge of information pollution and the consequent erosion of trust in governance systems and democracy?

        2. Are the overlapping crises leading to a crisis of governance? Are there effective and legitimate pathways out of these crises?

        3. Why should we invest in inclusive, accountable and effective governance when there are multiple crises demanding urgent attention?

        Learn more

        To watch the recording of the event, click here

        Power Play: protecting the integrity of elections from the threat of disinformation   

        A virtual panel discussion co-hosted by UNDP's Oslo Governance Centre and Oxford University’s Programme on Democracy and Technology took place on Wednesday, December 8th, 2021  

        To watch the recording of the event, click here

        Countering Disinformation and Promoting Data Transparency  

        UNGA side event organized by the Office of the Secretary General's Envoy on Technology, UN Department of Global Communications, UNDP, UNESCO, Global Pulse, WHO and Infodemic Management. The event in September 2021 invited reflections from the Member States about the biggest challenges, they face in countering disinformation. The inter-agency event also looked to identify solutions for improved collaboration, highlight key learnings, shared considerations, good-practices, and recommendations that emerged from their work over the past year to counter disinformation and increase data transparency.  

        To watch the recording of the event, click here.  

        Read: Opening statement delivered by Haoliang Xu, UN Assistant Secretary-General, UNDP Assistant Administrator and Director of Bureau for Policy and Programme Support, at this side event.  

        No Silver Bullet: Using data to develop context-sensitive solutions to disinformation  

        In December 2020, Lebanon, and Chile presented their key preliminary findings during the virtual roundtable. 

          Global Engagement

          Tech for Democracy Action Coalition 

          Addressing information pollution in the context of elections is a relatively new field. However, the deployment of sophisticated disinformation tactics is now widely recognised as a key asset in influencing the democratic process. Under the Tech 4 Democracy initiative, UNDP has launched an Action Coalition on Information Integrity in Elections. Throughout 2022, the coalition will convene strategic expertise from organisations working across the entire electoral cycle to address this urgent problem. The coalition will aim to understand the impacts of disinformation within different election contexts, develop programmatic recommendations and conclusions for electoral stakeholders, and rigorously assess how the integration of technology in electoral settings can contribute to the attainment of inclusive, participatory, transparent, and peaceful elections.  

          Community of Practice - Information Integrity Digital Public Goods  

          OGC, together with UNDP’s Chief Digital Office and the Digital Public Goods Alliance, co-chairs a Community of Practice (CoP) to identify and elevate digital public goods that effectively counter information pollution. The aim of the CoP is to convene experts to advance the discovery of digital public goods and understand how technology can make an impact. Of particular importance is to identify open software or data that can be rapidly applied to prevent, lessen, or respond to information pollution - especially in high-risk contexts.  

          Google Ads project  

          To help drive global recovery from the COVID-19 crisis, in 2021 Google committed $20 million in free advertising to select UN agencies through their Ad Grants Crisis Relief Fund, with UNDP establishing a spending goal of $1.5 million. The “Fighting Hate and False Narratives” initiative was jointly created by UNDP Crisis Bureau and OGC to amplify the work of UNDP Country Offices to counter hate speech and information pollution through Google Ads. The initiative was launched in the summer of 2021 and ran until February 2022. 

          UN Informal Interagency Dialogue on Disinformation and Data Transparency 

          Since 2020, OGC has participated in the UN Informal Interagency Dialogue on Disinformation and Data transparency, which developed two discussion papers last year. The first discussion paper pinpoints data from online platforms to enable a better understanding of disinformation online and identify areas of action and research needed to counter it. The second discussion paper proposes a provisional path for mitigating disinformation and misinformation by internet communications companies. This group convenes quarterly to share information on new initiatives, events, and partnerships and to advance collectively the importance of information integrity across all UN areas of work.  

            Publications