UNESCO Deputy Director-General calls for new skills for the Internet
Getachew Engida addresses key session at IGF - © UNESCO
People need the competencies of Media and Information Literacy to deal with the Internet, UNESCO’s Deputy Director General Getachew Engida told the opening session of high level speakers at the Internet Governance Forum in Turkey on Monday.
“Our use of the Internet is transforming global trade, the workplace and working lives, but which skills do we need to support sustainable development?”
Mr Engida explained that UNESCO sees Media and Information Literacy as covering the range of skills which empower digital citizens to “access, retrieve, understand, evaluate and use, create, as well as share”.
He elaborated how MIL is also a way for Internet users to know their human rights online, such as privacy and free expression, and to be aware of the ethical dimensions of engaging with Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs).
“Such comprehensive Media and Information Literacy needs to be anchored in the curricula of schools and be part of everybody’s lifelong learning,” he said.
The Deputy Director-General observed that a multi-stakeholder approach sustains an enabling environment for Internet development, including an environment of strengthened Media and Information Literacy.
He also shared with participants the significance of UNESCO’s Internet-issues study.
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