UNESCO publications for the World Summit on the Information Society
Cultural and linguistic diversity in the information society
Cultural diversity is seen as part of humanity's common heritage, which, as a source of exchange, innovation and creativity, is as essential for humankind as biodiversity is for nature. It should therefore be protected for the benefit of both present and future generations and be considered as a basic human right.
Education in and for the information society
This publication aims to make known the potential of ICTs to expand and improve teaching and learning in a wide variety of contexts, with a specific focus on developing regions and UNESCO's initiatives.
Gender issues in the information society
ICTs could give a major boost to the economic, political and social empowerment of women, and the promotion of gender equality. But that potential will only be realized if the gender dimensions of the Information Society - in term's of users' needs, conditions of access, policies, applications and regulatory frameworks - are properly understood and adequately addressed by all stakeholders.
Measuring and monitoring the information and knowledge societies: a statistical challenge
This report focuses on data systems and measurement issues with regard to ICT, including aspects of data availability, international comparability and quality, as well as their content.
Measuring linguistic diversity on the Internet
UNESCO has been emphasizing the concept of “knowledge societies”, which stresses plurality and diversity instead of a global uniformity in order to bridge the digital divide and to form an inclusive information society. An important theme of this concept is that of multilingualism for cultural diversity and participation for all the languages in cyberspace.
Memory of the Information Society
The Internet sharpens the issues of the digital world and heritage. It obliges us to reconsider all our certainties about the very meaning of the word “preserve”, a meaning which comes to us from the remotest of past ages when humans for the first time inscribed what they knew on objects that were longer-lasting than they were, so that their memory could traverse the generations and reach us.
Partnerships in Development Practice: Evidence from multi-stakeholder ICT4D partnership practice in Africa
The central aim of this paper is to problematise the notion of partnership in development practice, with particular emphasis on partnerships in the field of Information and Communication Technologies for Development (ICT4D). It seeks to challenge taken for granted ideas concerning such partnerships, and it argues that those involved in such initiatives need to have in place formal concepts about their structure, organisation and intention.
Social transformation in an information society: rethinking access to you and the world
The Internet, World Wide Web, mobile cell phones, digital television, and numerous other new electronic information and communication technologies (ICTs) are opening fresh pathways for transforming the way we live, work, learn and communicate. A strategic opening, redirecting, or closing of opportunities is central to the bringing of diverse and substantial social and economic benefits to people across the globe.
Science in the information society
The preparations for the World Summit on the Information Society have undoubtedly enhanced awareness among governments of the important role science and engineering play in building the information society and in contributing to the development of a knowledge society.
Status of Research on the Information Society
While it is true that ″the information society″ is a frequently heard concept and an expression in common use, the reality to which it refers is complex, and subject to many possible interpretations. What, then, can we say about the studies which attempt to define its outlines? Their immense diversity results not only from the variety of communication media in existence, but also from the multiplicity of issues for analysis, and finally, of course, from the research objectives and methods adopted.
UNESCO's basic texts on the information society
One of UNESCO’s fundamental activities is the drafting of charters, declarations and recommendations intended to present the essence of its proposals for action in its fields of competence. This publication presents a selection of quotations from the Organization’s official texts, originating from all its programme sectors, which contribute to defining what the information society ought to be, without reducing the debate to purely technical issues.