02-02-2004 (The Hague) IFLA Establishes Knowledge Management Section
The International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA) recently announced the creation of a Knowledge Management Section. "The Section will provide an international platform for professional communication and for understanding of the significance of knowledge management for librarians and the institutions that employ them" says IFLA.
30-01-2004 (Bangkok) Online Resources on ICT in Education and SchoolNets
A collection of links to online resources on ICT in Primary and Secondary Education and SchoolNets is now available on the "ICT for Education" website of the UNESCO Bangkok Office. The new service provides links to resources in the following three areas: The Role of ICT in Education, ICT in Practice, and Tools and Resources.
29-01-2004 (Almaty) UNESCO Sponsored Meeting on National Information Policy in Kazakhstan
Representatives of the media, librarians and archivists met yesterday in Almaty, Kazakhstan, to discuss the formulation of a national information policy. One of the key documents discussed during the meeting was the Draft "Policy Guidelines for the Development and Promotion of Public Domain Information" that is being prepared under UNESCO's auspices.
28-01-2004 (Cairo) UNESCO and Microsoft Plan to Strengthen Cooperation
UNESCO and Microsoft intend to strengthen their cooperation in the field of teaching and learning including basic ICT skill training. Announcing this plan at the Governmental Leadership Forum Arabia in Egypt's capital Cairo last week, UNESCO and Microsoft will now develop a comprehensive agreement detailing their collaboration.
27-01-2004 (Paris/Geneva) ITU to Organize Internet Governance Workshop as WSIS Follow-up
As the Geneva phase of the World Summit on the Information Society identified two major issues to be resolved, namely Internet governance and financing mechanisms, the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) announces that it will contribute to the discussion on Internet governance by organizing a workshop on 26 and 27 February in Geneva, providing a forum for exchanging views on definitions, viewpoints, visions and analytical studies.
26-01-2004 (New Delhi) Networking Multipurpose Community Telecentres in South Asia
One hundred and twenty-five participants from the South Asian Association for Regional Corporation (SAAARC) countries (Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka) and resource persons from Asia Pacific attended a two-day international seminar on "Multipurpose Community Telecentre: Networking and Future Aims" which was held in the Nepal's capital Kathmandu on 15 and 16 January 2004.
23-01-2004 (Paris) Study on Freedom of Information Laws Published
UNESCO has published a study of freedom of information laws that examines best practices in 10 countries. Written by ARTICLE 19 Law Programme Director Toby Mendel, "Freedom on Information: A Comparative Legal Survey" analyses laws in Bulgaria, India, Japan, Mexico, Pakistan, South Africa, Sweden, Thailand, the United Kingdom and the United States.
22-01-2004 (Paris) Boosting Use of Space Technology for Development to be Focus of UN Meeting
Representatives from a dozen countries are set to meet with United Nations agencies later this week for talks on how to strengthen the world body's efforts aimed at bringing civilian adaptations of space-related technology to the developing world.
21-01-2004 (Bangkok) Seven South East Asian Countries Commit to SchoolNet Project
Two workshops fostering major developments under the project“ Strengthening ICT in Schools and SchoolNet Project in the South East Asian Setting” were held recently in Bangkok. The UNESCO project aims at the information-rich and well equipped ASEAN countries to share their resources with information-poor and ill-equipped countries in the region through an ASEAN SchoolNet.
20-01-2004 (Paris) Director-General Condemns Murder of Journalist Manik Shaha in Bangladesh
UNESCO Director-General Koïchiro Matsuura today condemned the brutal murder of journalist Manik Shaha in Khulna, south western Bangladesh, and welcomed a pledge by the country’s prime minister to find and punish his killers.
20-01-2004 (Newcastle) Professional Media Education on Agenda of JourNet Conference
Helping people to find local solutions to the global challenge is the objective of the first international conference on "Professional Education for the Media" that will be organized by JourNet, a global network of journalism and media schools founded by UNESCO in 1999, from 16 to 20 February in Newcastle, Australia.
19-01-2004 (Paris) UNESCO Supports Digitization of Recordings of Traditional Chinese Music
Recordings of traditional Chinese music held by the Music Research Institute (MRI) of the Chinese Academy of Arts in Being will soon be digitally available. The collections which have has been included in UNESCO's Memory of the World Register in 1997, contain unique field recordings from the 1950s onward, which are in frequent demand.
16-01-2004 (Brasilia) Low Cost ICT Literacy Programme in Brazil Sponsored by UNESCO
Eight Brazilian cents. This is the fee for one lesson of the Programme "Computers for the Community" including one hour free access to the Internet and courses in Windows, Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Internet browsing that offers the project "Open School" initiated last year by UNESCO in Brazil in partnership with the Government of the State of Pernambuco and with the support of Interdata Microinformática Ltd and the Diário de Pernambuco.
15-01-2004 (Paris) Leaders of World's Top Media Companies to Meet with Annan on Battling Aids
With 10 people becoming infected with the HIV virus each minute, executives from major news and entertainment organizations from around the world are set to gather today at United Nations Headquarters in New York for a discussion on how media can contribute to the fight against AIDS.
14-01-2004 (Paris) Archives, Memory and Knowledge - International Congress in Vienna
Professional reflection, practical education and decisions on the future of archives will be on the agenda of the 15th International Congress on Archives that the Austrian State Archives is organizing in collaboration with the International Council on Archives (ICA) in Vienna, Austria, from 23 to 29 August 2004 under the title "Archives, Memory and Knowledge".
13-01-2004 (Bangkok) Database on Human Rights Instruments in Asia and the Pacific
The UNESCO Office in Bangkok recently launched an online database on Human Rights instruments for the benefit of UNESCO partners working to promote Human Rights principles and practices in the Asia-Pacific region. The service also includes references to Human Rights in the area of information and communication .
12-01-2004 (Paris) Parchments Digitization Project at Lithuanian Academy of Sciences Completed
Nearly ten percent of the more than 1,400 parchments preserved at the Library of the Lithuanian Academy of Sciences in Vilnius are now on line available thanks to a UNESCO project that was recently completed. The digital images of 121 parchments containing information of outstanding historical value cover the period from 1187 to 1500.
09-01-2004 (Paris) International Council on Archives Submits Report on E-Records to UNESCO
Archives needs to be repositioned to manage electronic records and deal effectively with archival automation" states the International Council on Archives (ICA) in submitting the findings of a research work on e-records commissioned by UNESCO. The project came as a response to the challenges posed by e-records to the international archival community and to archives users.
08-01-2004 (Paris) UNESCO Director-General Voices Alarm at Sharp Increase in Number of Journalists Killed in 2003
UNESCO Director-General Koïchiro Matsuura today condemned the killing of five journalists in recent weeks and deplored the fact that more reporters were killed in the line of duty in 2003 than in any year since 1995.
08-01-2004 (Paris) Online Discussion on Virtual Universities
UNESCO's International Institute for Educational Planning (IIEP) launches an Internet discussion forum on virtual universities and transnational education. The discussion that will take place from 19 January to 20 February 2004 will be based on the study "The Virtual University: Models and messages / Lessons from case studies" that IIEP published in 2003.
07-01-2004 (Paris) UNESCO Calls for Nominations for Memory of the World International Register
UNESCO is inviting new nomination proposals for inscription on its Memory of the World International Register, a list of library and archives collections of world significance, which was established in 1992 to preserve and promote documentary heritage of universal value. The proposals will be examined by an international experts committee, probably in June 2005.
06-01-2004 (Paris) Launch of International Year Commemorating the Struggle Against Slavery and its Abolition
On January 10, UNESCO Director-General Koïchiro Matsuura will officially launch the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and its Abolition in Cape Coast (Ghana), one of the slave trade’s most active centres and today a World Heritage site.
05-01-2004 (Paris) UNESCO to Sponsor Pilot Satellite Distance Learning Course on Telecentres in Africa
UNESCO is working with WorldSpace Corporation, the operator of the Afristar satellite for digital radio broadcasting in Africa, to demonstrate and test the potential of digital radio to deliver low budget, effective, multimedia based and real time distance education to rural learners in Africa.
