WSIS Intersessional Meeting Continues Work at UNESCO Headquarters
16-07-2003 ()
The participants of the Intersessional Meeting of the World Summit on the Information Society that is presently being held at UNESCO's Headquarters (15 to 18 July) are continuing today their work of refining the drafts of the WSIS Declaration of Principles and of the Plan of Action. UNESCO Director-General Koïchiro Matsuura yesterday addressed the opening session of the meeting presenting UNESCO's input to the Summit.
More than 600 participants - government representatives and observers from intergovernmental organizations, civil society and the private sector – are attending the meeting, convened by the President of the Preparatory Committee of the Summit, Adama Sammassékou of Mali. The meeting is chaired by Lyndall Shope Mafole of South Africa.
It aims at refining the draft Declaration of Principles and the draft Plan of Action that are to be adopted at WSIS, which is organized by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) under the patronage of the Secretary-General of the United Nations, and is due to take place in Geneva (December 10-12, 2003) and in Tunis (November 16-18, 2005).
In his address yesterday, the Director-General. UNESCO advocated the development of “knowledge societies”, a concept that aims to be more inclusive than that of “information society” and is based on four principles:
the basic human right of freedom of expression, which must apply to the internet as it does to traditional media;
cultural diversity, including the promotion of multilingualism on the internet;
universal access to education, both education for the utilization of ICTs and the use of ICTs themselves in accessing education;
universal access to information, an important element for good governance and for development.
UNESCO has taken a number of initiatives to promote these priorities. During the 32nd session of the General Conference of its Member States (September 29-October 17), UNESCO will organize a Ministerial Roundtable Meeting (October 9 and 10) at which ministers in charge of ICTs and information society-related issues will be able to examine these issues ahead of the World Summit.
Two texts that could serve as international standard setting instruments will furthermore be submitted for adoption to the General Conference of UNESCO:
A draft Recommendation on the Promotion and Use of Multilingualism and Universal Access to Cyberspace that has been conceived as a legal instrument on equitable access to information and aiming to contribute to the development of multi-cultural knowledge societies. It also features guidelines on the preservation of cultural and linguistic diversity;
A draft UNESCO Charter on the Preservation of the Digital Heritage, a declaration of principles focusing on advocacy and public policy issues and intended to help prepare national policies to preserve digital heritage and extend access to it.
Over a year of preparatory meetings, international consensus has emerged about the importance of harnessing the information and communication technologies (ICTs) for development of individuals and communities worldwide. Particular emphasis is being placed on improving access to the Internet in developing countries. Measures under discussion concern both infrastructure and content.
It aims at refining the draft Declaration of Principles and the draft Plan of Action that are to be adopted at WSIS, which is organized by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) under the patronage of the Secretary-General of the United Nations, and is due to take place in Geneva (December 10-12, 2003) and in Tunis (November 16-18, 2005).
In his address yesterday, the Director-General. UNESCO advocated the development of “knowledge societies”, a concept that aims to be more inclusive than that of “information society” and is based on four principles:
UNESCO has taken a number of initiatives to promote these priorities. During the 32nd session of the General Conference of its Member States (September 29-October 17), UNESCO will organize a Ministerial Roundtable Meeting (October 9 and 10) at which ministers in charge of ICTs and information society-related issues will be able to examine these issues ahead of the World Summit.
Two texts that could serve as international standard setting instruments will furthermore be submitted for adoption to the General Conference of UNESCO:
Over a year of preparatory meetings, international consensus has emerged about the importance of harnessing the information and communication technologies (ICTs) for development of individuals and communities worldwide. Particular emphasis is being placed on improving access to the Internet in developing countries. Measures under discussion concern both infrastructure and content.
Related themes/countries
· Promotion and Use of Multilingualism and Universal Access to Cyberspace
· News Archives 2003
· E-Heritage: News Archives 2003
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