The UK is deeply concerned by the growing threats to information integrity: UK Statement at the UN Fourth Committee

The United Kingdom highlighted the growing threats to information integrity, including an industrial-scale assault by hostile actors that corrodes trust and endangers lives. It noted that artificial intelligence will amplify misinformation and disinformation, making false content harder to detect and spreading it more rapidly. The UK emphasized that harmful information in humanitarian crises can undermine aid access, fracture social cohesion, and endanger staff, citing the IFRC’s World Disasters Report for 2026.

The UK called for defending the UN’s role as a trusted information source, noting disinformation is weaponised by individuals, groups, and Member States. It highlighted Russian disinformation efforts, including a £1.3 billion annual budget for manipulation using bot farms and troll networks. The UK announced 31 additional sanctions targeting Kremlin disinformation networks and the creation of a National Centre for Information Defence to detect and disrupt hostile state attacks.

The UK stressed the need to address disinformation that threatens the UN’s peacekeeping missions, as false narratives create real-world dangers for peacekeepers and communities. It cited a UN survey showing 76% of peacekeepers reported misinformation and disinformation had a moderate to severe impact on their safety in 2023. The UK pledged extra-budgetary funding to support peacekeepers through training and technological tools to strengthen information integrity.

The UK underscored the importance of protecting independent journalism, citing 129 journalists killed in 2025 as the deadliest year recorded by the Committee to Protect Journalists. It noted that journalists covering conflict, once protected by marked vests, are now frequently targeted. The UK, as a co-founder of the Media Freedom Coalition, called for investigations and accountability for attacks on media workers under national and international law.