CONNECTing THE DOTS

UNESCO organized an international multistakeholder conference to discuss the first draft of the Comprehensive Study on Internet-related issues. This major global event attracted participants from governments, civil society, academia, private sector, the technical community, inter-governmental and international organizations as well as noted thought leaders, innovators and pioneers in the Internet Governance space.

The conference is part of UNESCO's response in support of the decision taken by its 195 Member States. Through Resolution 52, adopted in 2013 at the 37th session of UNESCO's General Conference, Member States called for a comprehensive and consultative multi-stakeholder study on Internet-related issues within UNESCO's fields of competence.

The study examines current and emerging inter-related trends, challenges and opportunities around access to information and knowledge, freedom of expression, privacy, and ethical dimensions of the information society. The conference provided a multistakeholder platform to explore the findings of the study and to develop possible responses and options that could orient UNESCO's future actions.

The broad reflections and recommendations that emerged from the conference will also inform the work of the 196th session of UNESCO's Executive Board during its April 2015 meetings. The final outcomes of the entire study process will be presented to the 38th session of UNESCO’s General Conference in November 2015.

This UNESCO study, its findings, recommendations and the partnerships mobilized represent an important contribution to the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) +10 Review process and the post-2015 international development agenda.