Theme 2023

Theme description 

Dating back to the Anthropocene, information constituted a vital part of the survival and progress of the human species. Whether it was knowledge of edible fruits and hunting or elaborate webs of spies and informative infrastructure, a single piece of information could make the difference between life and death. Once a tool for survival and progress, in the Age of Globalization information slowly became a commodity, increasing its value with every technological advance. Today, information can be bought, sold, used and abused, shared publicly or kept under lock and key. You can make it up or you can deny it and there will always be two sides to any story, and what was once used for survival became a potential tool of destruction.

Information is now one of the most valuable commodities on Earth. Every day, petabytes of data are transferred in written, spoken, and demonstrated form. Nowadays, information can be shared with anyone, anywhere, instantly. Never before have humans achieved such a high level of connection. Alas, there is trouble in paradise. Among such egregious amounts of information, who can distinguish the truth from lies? What sources do we believe? Where in the world should we look for answers to our pressing questions? Should anyone have a monopoly on truth? The most alarming aspect is the answer to these questions. No one knows. Yet.

Today’s Society has had to adapt to these drastic changes, thus the United Nations has also had to alter its ways of perceiving and guiding humanity. The whole world has been thrust into a hybrid propaganda war concerning information in Ukraine. The British public has been misled during Brexit. Every day we battle a “pandemic of misinformation”. New issues continually arise and the international community has come to the realisation that something needs to change.