YouSaid · the spoken record

Lieutenant General Affonso Da Costa

lines on the record

5

first

2022-07-12

most recent

2022-07-12

sittings or episodes

1

sources

un-security-council

Every line below is reproduced as it was said and linked to the record it came from. Nothing here is summarised or generated. Directory · Search · Corrections

1. “Internally, it is to consider that the military campaign plan must adhere to the Mission’s strategic communication plan. So, synergy is the word. The alignment inside the Mission and up to United Nations Headquarters is vital. Only by defining the selected messages and indicators to be conveyed are we going to be able to influence and, ultimately, change the behaviour of the audiences. For that reason, strategic communication is not an ordinary staff responsibility, but a command duty and a mission’s leadership endeavour. On behalf of the more than 13,000 peacekeepers in the service of peace in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, I thank you again, Mr. President, for this opportunity.”

   2022-07-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9090 (2022) · source

2. “It led to the full inclusion of the information warfare perspective in all our military operations. To sum up, we will gain the narrative in support of our operations. Although proud of our work, we know that more must be done. I mention the insufficient strength of female translators to our female engagement teams, the need for better predeployment training of our units on communication skills and the need for more and best qualified public-information and information-operation staff officers. Substantively, to counter the menace of fake news, the United Nations force should be a step ahead in that domain. It will seek new capabilities, such as those provided by a specialized military psychological operation unit. But means and resources are not the sole response.”

   2022-07-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9090 (2022) · source

3. “One important part of our strategy is to communicate in person with stakeholders, from the village chief to the media and up to the national and regional armed forces leadership. Those voices play a crucial role in countering the criticism, explaining the aim and the limits of our mandate and acknowledging the validity of the United Nations Due Diligence Policy on Human Rights. We have some other good practices to share — the use of language assistants during our patrols, the provision of French classes at the battalion level, the intensification of the use of official social media, radio broadcasting and regular meetings between the civilian and military branches to coordinate communication activities. The other important step was the new force memorandum on the adoption of the StratCom concept.”

   2022-07-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9090 (2022) · source

4. “An anti-Mission sentiment prevails in certain parts of the country, which even prevents some of our deployments. Unfair speeches by several actors against the Mission put the safety of our peacekeepers at risk. The extensive use of social media by armed groups and other spoilers undermines the confidence in the United Nations. In respect to those militias, although asymmetric in nature, they use regular information warfare techniques. Fake news, diffused through messaging and social media, are difficult to distinguish from reality and will soon be virtually undetectable. Such emerging technologies are driving a fundamental change in the character of the war, and peace operations are already being affected. The United Nations force should therefore evolve and adapt.”

   2022-07-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9090 (2022) · source

5. “Lieutenant General Affonso Da Costa: I am honoured to brief the Council at this high-level debate on strategic communications from the perspective of a Force Commander of a Chapter VII Mission working in a complex and rapidly changing environment such as the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO). As we have been deepening our response to the security challenges in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, we have identified several key areas that should be enhanced, one of which is communications. Now more than ever, an effective force depends on a strong communications strategy. We operate in a country where successive surveys showed an overall poor perception among the population about the relevance of MONUSCO in improving its security.”

   2022-07-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9090 (2022) · source