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 Purpose
UNESCO works to ensure that debates on certain key intellectual and ethical issues, which are crucial for the development of an equitable information society, form part and parcel of the process culminating in the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS), to be held in Geneva, Switzerland, in December 2003 and Tunis, Tunisia, in November 2005.
On 9 and 10 October 2003, UNESCO is organizing at its Paris Headquarters a Ministerial Round Table Meeting on the theme "Towards Knowledge Societies”. The purpose is to discuss the principles of universal access to information, equitable access to education, cultural and linguistic diversity and freedom of expression.
The Ministerial Round Table Meeting is intended to provide a framework for international exchange on issues related to education, sciences, culture and communication in knowledge societies. It is also to allow ministers in charge of ICT and information society related issues, in UNESCO Member States, to debate their various views and experiences.
It is hoped that the event will create an awareness among participants of
the importance of focusing on the aspect of content in discussions on the Information Society. It should also provide them with additional insights for the preparation of their country's input into the various events and decisions ahead, particularly in regard to WSIS.
The meeting is part of a series of special events being organized during the 32nd session of UNESCO’s General Conference (29 September-17 October 2003).
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