13-08-2004 (Paris) WEBLIS, an Integrated Library System based on CDS/ISIS, available free of charge from UNESCO and ICIE
"The results of the IFLA/FAIFE survey discussed in the World Report 2003 have once again disclosed the huge gaps and differences between the regions of the world – between the information haves and the information have-nots. There is a long way to go before countries, their libraries and their staff are suitably equipped and properly trained to meet the challenge of safeguarding their clients’ full participation in the information and knowledge society.
12-08-2004 (Accra) Banikoara Community Multi-Media Centre Connected!
11 August, Banikoara, Northern Benin: Banikoara CMC has commissioned its first ever VSAT Internet connection making it possible for 253,000 residents of Banikoara to take immediate advantage of easy and uninterrupted access to the Internet. Banikoara Town is situated 243km from the nearest access to Internet services in Parakou and more than 743km from the capital city, Cotonou.
11-08-2004 (Paris) UNESCO to Publish Handbook on Language Preservation and Documentation
Aimée Lahaussois, a Linguistic Expert in Nepalese languages, along with several leading international experts in linguistic and language revitalization, have been developing a Language Preservation Handbook. This project is one of the activities carried out by UNESCO’s Initiative B@bel which seeks to promote multilingualism in cyberspace and preserve endangered languages.
10-08-2004 (Paris) Promoting Cultural Diversity through the Media: New Possibilities for Local Content Distribution
“Culture takes diverse forms across time and space. This diversity is embodied in the uniqueness and plurality of the identities of the groups and societies making up humankind. As a source of exchange, innovation and creativity, cultural diversity is as necessary for humankind as biodiversity is for nature.
09-08-2004 (Quito) Connexion to Improve Social Inclusion: Challenges and Opportunities for Ecuador in the Information Society
A seminar entitled “Connexion to improve social inclusion” was held in Quito on 6 July 2004 and the debates covered themes linked to the use and dissemination of communication and information technologies.
06-08-2004 (Paris) Director-General Condemns Murder of Journalist Roger Mariano, 3rd in Philippines this Year
UNESCO Director-General Koïchiro Matsuura condemned the assassination of Philippines radio broadcaster Roger Mariano in Laoag City, in the north of the Philippines on July 31.
05-08-2004 (Paris) French Version of UNESCO’s Community Browser eNRICH Online
UNESCO announces the launch of the French language version of eNRICH, a fully customisable knowledge management software for communities to find their way around the mass of information and knowledge resources available on the Internet and to voice communities issues and create relevant content of their own.
04-08-2004 (Paris) Tribute to Journalists "Victims of their Duty" in Paris
Paying tribute to journalists and information professionals, victims of their duty to inform, disappeared or dead on mission. Free flow of thoughts and opinions is one of the most precious rights of man .( Article XI of the Declaration of Human and Citizen Rights). 1789. This is the text of the plaque unveiled by French Minister of Culture, Renaud Donnedieu de Vabres, Thursday 29 July, in Paris at the Trocadero, on the Parvis des Libertés et des Droits de l’homme.
03-08-2004 (Beirut) UNESCO Beirut Distributes Computers to Schools in Northern Lebanon
As part of the Bridging the Digital Divide Projects of the UNESCO Beirut Office and in cooperation with the Safadi Foundation 66 refurbished personal computers were distributed to 8 schools in the Northern region of Lebanon.
02-08-2004 (Paris) UNESCO Project for Digitizing Recordings of Traditional Chinese Music Concluded
The famous and unique field recordings of traditional Chinese music held by the Music Research Institute (MRI) of the Chinese Academy of Arts are now easier accessible for researchers thanks to a UNESCO funded project that was recently concluded. Some of the sound recording are already online available.
30-07-2004 (Paris) CD-ROM entitled 'Cultural diversity and indigenous peoples' released
The CNRS (National Center for Scientific Research, France) and the University of Australia compose the editorial team of a recently released CD-ROM entitled “Cultural diversity and indigenous peoples -Oral, written expressions and new technologies”.
29-07-2004 (Paris) Establishing Art, Design and Technology Master Classes in Arab States
A workshop to discuss strategies for establishing art, design and technology master classes at the university level in Arab States will be held during this year’s Ars Electronica Festival in September in Linz, Austria. Organized under the auspices of UNESCO’s DigiArts project, the workshop aims at promoting dialogue, exchange and cooperation in the field of creativity.
28-07-2004 (Paris) Annan Urges Asian Broadcasters To Build Open Information Societies
United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan yesterday urged Asian broadcasters to work towards a media policy aimed at building open information societies that benefit all people in the region. In a message to the Third General Conference of the Asia-Pacific Institute for Broadcasting Development (AIBD) being held this week in Colombo, Sri Lanka, the Secretary-General underscored the impact of the electronic media on all facets of society.
27-07-2004 (Paris) UNESCO’s 21st Century Dialogue on Building Knowledge Societies Today in Seoul
“Building Knowledge Societies” is the theme of UNESCO’s 21st Century Dialogue that opened today in Seoul. The event is being held on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the Korean National Commission for UNESCO (KNCU) and the visit of UNESCO Director-General Koïchiro Matsuura to the Republic of Korea.
26-07-2004 (Paris) Bibliotheca Alexandrina to Host “Beacon for Freedom of Expression Conference 2004”
The media and freedom of expression, legal constraints to freedom of expression, freedom of expression and libraries, new forms of censorship are only some items on the agenda of the “Beacon for Freedom of Expression Conference 2004” that will be held at the Bibliotheca Alexandrina in Alexandria, Egypt from 18 to 20 September 2004.
23-07-2004 (Almaty) IBM and Kazkommertzbank to Sponsor Kazak Rare Books Digitization
The digitization of parts of the rare book collections of the National Library of the Republic of Kazakhstan (NLRK) - some of them are included in UNESCO’ Memory of the World Register - will be sponsored by IBM and the "Kus Zholy" Foundation of Kazkommertzbank, according to reports of the UNESCO Office in Almaty.
22-07-2004 (Bangkok) Integrating ICT into School Curricula: Workshop in Bangkok
The systematic integration of ICT into science, mathematics and language curricula is on the agenda of a workshop for teachers from Cambodia, Myanmar, Lao PDR, and Viet Nam who are presently meeting for an “ICT-based Lesson and Material Development Workshop” in Bangkok, Thailand.
21-07-2004 (Montevideo) UNESCO Open Source Software Workshops in Uruguay
Some 40 information specialists from public and private institutions in Uruguay participated last week in the country’s capital Montevideo in two workshops on GenISIS, an open source software for producing search interfaces for databases produced by UNESCO’s CDS/ISIS, an advanced non-numerical information storage and retrieval software.
20-07-2004 (Paris) Using Multimedia for Storytelling: Competition Launched
Promoting creative interpretations of intangible heritage through the use of interactive multimedia tools and digital storytelling technologies, and creating a better understanding of each other's heritage are the objectives of the “Nabi Digital Storytelling Competition of Intangible Heritage” that was recently launched.
19-07-2004 (Paris) Education Makes the News: A New Media Training Kit Goes Online
UNESCO in collaboration with the Asia-Pacific Institute for Broadcasting Development (AIBD) has launched a workshop-ready training kit “Education Makes News” for writing and reporting on Education for All (EFA), an international initiative to achieve education for all by 2015.
16-07-2004 (Quito) INFOLAC Web Prize for Education Portals Launched
A contest to find the best educational web portal in Latin America and the Caribbean was recently launched by INFOLAC, a programme to enhance co-operation among information systems and networks in the region. The winner of the US$4,000 award will be announced in January 2005. The closure date for online submission of projects is 15 October 2004.
15-07-2004 (Paris) UNESCO Director-General Condemns Murder of Journalist Paul Klebnikov
UNESCO Director-General Koïchiro Matsuura today categorically condemned the murder of Paul Klebnikov, chief editor of the Russian edition of Forbes magazine, who was killed in Moscow on July 9.
15-07-2004 (Paris) Workshop on AIDS Prevention in Bamako
People in charge of youth from some 10 African countries will meet at a three-day workshop entitled “AIDS Concerns Us All” in Mali’s capital Bamako end of this month. The event is organized in the framework of UNESCO’s INFOYOUTH Programme in partnership with the “Mouvement de Réflexion et d’Action pour le Développement” (MARD).
13-07-2004 (Paris) Italy Establishes National Committee for Information For All Programme
Italy has joined the some 40 countries that have established a National Committee for UNESCO’s Information for All Programme. The Committee that was created by the Italian National Commission for UNESCO is chaired by Claudio Ciborra, an international expert in economics of information and transactions.
12-07-2004 (Kingston) Audio-visual Archive Preservation for the Eastern Caribbean
Some twenty archivists and broadcasters from the small island countries of the Eastern Caribbean, Belize and Jamaica participated in a UNESCO supported workshop on audio-visual archive preservation for the Eastern Caribbean last week at the Learning Resource Centre of the University of the West Indies, in Barbados.
09-07-2004 (Paris) UNESCO Workshop Prepares Journalists to Cover International AIDS Conference
Journalists and other communication professionals from 8 South East Asian countries assembled in Bangkok, Thailand, to participate in a week-long regional training on HIV/AIDS research and reporting skills. The training overlaps with the opening of the ‘International AIDS Conference 2004’ taking place in Bangkok from 11 to 16 July.
08-07-2004 (New Delhi) Language Portal INDOLANC Launched in Indonesia
Insights into the amazing kaleidoscope of Asian languages and their rich features both in terms of their scripts and calligraphy, speech and historical evolution and adaptation will be provided by INDOLANC, a UNESCO supported portal for Indonesian languages that was inaugurated last week at Atmajaya University in Indonesia’s capital Jakarta.
07-07-2004 (Kabul) Educational Radio and TV Centre Re-Opened in Kabul
After being almost totally destroyed during years of civil conflict, the building housing the Educational Radio and Television Centre (ERTV) of Afghanistan’s Ministry of Education has been fully renovated and is again operational. With $2.5 million funding from the Government of Italy, UNESCO has undertaken the project to completely upgrade and rehabilitate distance education services in Afghanistan.
06-07-2004 (Paris) Pre-electronic Transatlantic Communication Transmitter in UNESCO’s World Heritage List
The Varberg Radio Station in Grimeton in southern Sweden, an outstanding and exceptionally well preserved monument of telecom development and the only surviving example of a major transmitting station based on pre-electronic technology, was inscribed in UNESCO’s World Heritage List last week, alongside 12 other new cultural sites.
05-07-2004 (Paris) UNESCO Recruits Communication and Information Adviser for Afghanistan, Iran, Pakistan, Turkmenistan
UNESCO seeks its Communication and Information Adviser for Afghanistan, Islamic Republic of Iran, Pakistan and Turkmenistan . Based in the UNESCO office in Tehran, the Adviser will conceptualise and design programmes and projects in communication and information for UNESCO regular and extra budgetary funding.
