The Communication Coordination Group of the State Administration (the 'Communication Group') has de facto been operating for more than two years under the leadership of the Strategic Communication Coordination Department of the State Chancellery, said a government release.
Within the communication group, there is a regular exchange of information among the communication professionals of ministries and sectors, as well as the adjustment of communication messages, taking into account the strategic narratives of the country.
The Communication Group has been established to deal with strategic communication issues on a daily basis, as well as in crisis and threat situations, including to coordinate strategic communication before or after the meeting of the Crisis Management Council, as well as to provide coordinated strategic support to the Operational Command Center of Civil Defense on communication issues.
"By synchronizing messages and actions, it helps the state administration to speak with one voice as much as possible to the priority audiences, both in everyday life and in crisis and threat situations, including promoting the achievement of the state's strategic goals, as well as the citizens' sense of belonging to Latvia and trust in the state administration's communication," said Rihards Bambals, head of the State Chancellery's Strategic Communications coordination department.
The strengthening of the status and powers of the communication group is also provided for in the "Strategic Communication and Information Space Security Concept of State Administration 2023-2027" approved by the Cabinet of Ministers on January 24, 2023. for the year" .
The initiative aims to promote the resilience of the Latvian state administration and society against various manipulations, including disinformation and information influence operations, in the context of the war waged by Russia, by strengthening three pillars of the security of the information space for the next five years: 1) the state's strategic communication capabilities, 2) the media environment and 3 ) society's media literacy and information literacy.
