Institutes and Centres linked to Communication and Information
UNESCO's efforts to build knowledge societies are being complemented by the work undertaken by Institutes and Centres. These entities which are normally funded by Member States carry out a plethora of activities which contribute to the achievement of UNESCO's strategic programme objectives.
Through capacity-building knowedge sharing and research, they provide a valuable and unique contribution to the implementation of UNESCO's Communication and Information strategic programme objectives for the benefits of Member States.
Though they are not legally part of the Organization, these Institutes and Centre are associated with UNESCO through formal arrangements.
Requests for the establishment of these Institutes and Centres emanate from Member States. The Executive Board then examines the individual application alongside a feasibility study, before forwarding recommendations to the General Conference which has the final say.
Centres and Institutions complying with the Integrated Strategy adopted by the 37th UNESCO General Conference, are defined as "Category 2".
Category 2 Institutes and Centres
To date, UNESCO has given Category 2 status to over 100 entities, including the following Centres which are linked to the Communication and Information Sector:
Place: Manama, Bahrain
Summary:
The Centre strives to contribute to the development of the Arab region, by harnessing the power of ICTs for creating capacity in knowledge sharing and acquisition, through the establishment of a knowledge hub for the six Member States of the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf (GCC) and Yemen.
Main functions or recent activities:
The functions of the Centre are tailored to contribute to the use of ICTs in knowledge acquisition and sharing for fostering sustainable development. In particular, it is a:
- laboratory of ideas for developing strategic plans, policies and practices, through the networking of regional professionals, including the organization of face-to-face meetings and the establishment of virtual community of practices in the area of its competence;
- clearing house on theories, experiences and best practices in the area of the application of ICTs for knowledge sharing and acquisition worldwide;
- capacity-builder, providing education and training for trainers in the areas related to capacity-building in ICTs for knowledge sharing and acquisition, including system development, applications development, computer literacy and information literacy;
- research centre for developing and coordinating cooperative research on technology solutions for knowledge acquisition and sharing;
- technology hub, providing state-of-the-art computing infrastructure in order to advance large-scale data-processing applications, scientific research and high-performance computing.
Thematic areas: ICT for Education, Science and Culture
Documents: Fact Sheet - Agreement with the government of Bahrain signed in November 2008.
Website: Regional Centre for Information and Communication Technology
Centre contact information: Ms Hala Amer
Acting Director
Regional Centre for Information and Communication Technology
Building 25, First Floor, BTI
ISA Town
P.O. Box 43
Manama, Kingdom of Bahrain
UNESCO contact: Zeynep Varoglu, Programme Specialist, Communication and Information Sector
Place: Sao Paulo, Brazil
Summary: The Centre supports Latin America and Portuguese-speaking African countries with studies on the progress and impact of building inclusive knowledge societies through information and communication.
Main or recent activities: The Centre focuses on capacity building activities, enabling policy-makers to analyze survey statistics and monitor the impact of ICT policies on the development of information and knowledge societies and promote awareness on the issue.
It also works as a clearing house, develops sectorial ICT survey methodologies and patterns of data collection for the production of ICT indicators in a number of fields, including cultural and audiovisual industries and the understanding of the ethical dimensions of Internet use and its social implications.
Thematic areas: ICT for Education, Science and Culture - Media and information literacy
Documents: Fact Sheet - Agreement with the Government of Brazil signed on March 28, 2012.
Centre contact information:
Antonio Tavares
Chairman of the Board of The Brazilian Network Information Center (NIC.br)
Alexandre F. Barbosa
Manager of the Center of Studies on Information and Communications Technologies (CETIC.br)
c/o CETIC.br
Av. Nações Unidas, 11.541
São Paulo, SP
Brazil
UNESCO contact: Davide Storti, Programme Specialist, Communication and Information Sector
Place: Oregon, United States of America
Summary and activities: The IIDCSR fields student and faculty research fellows worldwide to report on issues germane to the Institute and produce podcasts available to the public on the Institute’s website and broadcast on public radio. The Institute engages in world Press Freedom Day with student reporters and faculty advisors working in the Youth Newsroom. Its students are scheduled for UNESCO internships in Paris. Classes in conflict sensitive reporting are taught at the University of Oregon. The IIDCSR stages conferences dealing with its core competencies.
Thematic areas: Intercultural dialogue, inter-religious dialogue, conflict-sensitive reporting.
Documents: Statement of Intent and Agreement with the United States of America
Website: Institute for Intercultural Dialogue and Conflict-Sensitive Reporting (IIDCSR)
Centre contact information:
Peter Laufer, PhD
James Wallace Chair Professor in Journalism
Co-director UO-UNESCO Crossings Institute for Conflict Sensitive Reporting & Intercultural Dialogue
University of Oregon School of Journalism and Communication
United States of America
Tel: + 1 541 346 2109
UNESCO contact: Alton Grizzle, Programme Specialist, Communication and Information Sector
Place: Kuwait
Documents: Draft Agreement with the Government of The State of Kuwait
Place: Iceland
Documents: Agreement with the Government of Iceland
Other Centres
Place: Paris, France
Summary:
The ISSN International Centre works with its Member Countries on the identification and promotion of serial publications, through the assignment of a unique identification code which facilitates access to serial titles for all users of serial literature whether in print or non-print formats.
The Centre, through its network of national centres and its services, provides its Member States with access to quality information concerning serial publications worldwide.
Main or recent activities: ISSN identification also supports UNESCO’s and IFAP’s efforts on digital preservation.
Thematic areas: Information Preservation - Information for All Programme
Documents: Fact Sheet - Agreement with the French Government
Website: ISSN
Centre contact information:
Centre International de l'ISSN
45 rue de Turbigo
75003 Paris
France
Tel. : +33 1 44 88 22 20
Fax : +33 1 40 26 32 43
UNESCO contact: Davide Storti, Programme Specialist, Communication and Information Sector