Director-General Welcomes Endorsement of Freedom of Expression by WSIS
16-12-2003 ()
UNESCO Director-General Koïchiro Matsuura has welcomed the clear and unambiguous reaffirmation of the human right to freedom of expression by the World Summit on the Information Society, WSIS, in Geneva on December 12.
"It is reassuring for UNESCO to note that freedom of expression, a human right we believe to be fundamental for the development of knowledge societies, features unambiguously in the Declaration of Principles and Plan of Action which the World Summit on the Information Society adopted in Geneva on the 12th of December", Koïchiro Matsuura declared.
The Director-General added: ″The two documents express an international consensus on the values which underpin the construction of inclusive and diverse societies in which all can benefit from the potential of the information and communication technologies. The international community recognized values which UNESCO has been promoting persistently, namely: freedom of expression; equal access to education; universal access to information including a strong public domain of information; and the preservation and promotion of cultural diversity including multilingualism.″
″The Summit clearly recognized the all important human values that must be taken on board to overcome the digital divide and the knowledge divide associated with it,″ Mr Matsuura added. ″This is a crucial challenge considering the ever growing importance of knowledge in the fight against poverty, and UNESCO is committed to address this challenge in education, science, culture and communication.″
UNESCO Press Release No.2003-104
The Director-General added: ″The two documents express an international consensus on the values which underpin the construction of inclusive and diverse societies in which all can benefit from the potential of the information and communication technologies. The international community recognized values which UNESCO has been promoting persistently, namely: freedom of expression; equal access to education; universal access to information including a strong public domain of information; and the preservation and promotion of cultural diversity including multilingualism.″
″The Summit clearly recognized the all important human values that must be taken on board to overcome the digital divide and the knowledge divide associated with it,″ Mr Matsuura added. ″This is a crucial challenge considering the ever growing importance of knowledge in the fight against poverty, and UNESCO is committed to address this challenge in education, science, culture and communication.″
UNESCO Press Release No.2003-104
Related themes/countries
· Background: UNESCO building Knowledge Societies
· News Archives 2003
· Multilingualism in Cyberspace: News Archives 2003
· Freedom of Expression: News Archives 2003
· Public Domain Information: News Archives 2003
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