“Access to information and digital literacy are antidotes to rampant disinformation. Now more than ever, we must work for ‘open and universal access to information’ in response to the COVID-19 crisis”, stated Ms Dorothy Gordon of Ghana, Chairperson of the Intergovernmental Council for UNESCO’s Information for All Programme (IFAP).
Education and digital connectivity are the two great equalizers in the world.
From 22 to 25 September 2020, the 22 Member States composing the IFAP Council gathered online to assess performance and address the Programme’s priorities. The experts and specialists named as country representatives to IFAP, revived their Government’s commitments to making the Programme fit for purpose as a platform for partnerships and international co-operation on access to information and knowledge for all.
Whilst discussing the role of emerging technologies for development, the IFAP Council underscored how achieving real and sustained progress in the various dimensions of digitalization requires not only connectivity, but also skills development and effective training, particularly in developing countries. An exemplary case in point is the IFAP Project on ICT and Media providing youth in Ghana with tools to counter violent extremism, as it was awarded the WSIS Prize 2020 for action line C10 on ethical dimensions of the Information Society.
This substantial need for digital capacity-building reinforces the role of IFAP as a framework for multi-stakeholder policy dialogue, underscored Mr. Xing Qu, Deputy Director-General of UNESCO and Assistant Director-General for Communication and Information ad interim. Experts underlined that digital technology has enormous potential for providing access to information and knowledge, but it can also accentuate existing fault lines, creating digital exclusion and worsening economic and other inequalities.
Information for all: a central pillar of digital cooperation
Over 60 IFAP Council Members and Observers participating in the Session drew parallels between IFAP’s strategic priorities and the UN Secretary-General’s recently launched Report “Roadmap for Digital Cooperation”. A video message [link to video] from UN Under-Secretary-General Fabrizio Hochschild-Drummond emphasized that while information is the most valuable asset in today’s global economy, in the words of Mr. Guterres, “education and digital connectivity are the two great equalizers in the world.”
USG Hochschild highlighted three common areas between IFAP’s mandate and the Secretary-General’s digital cooperation priorities: information ethics, information accessibility, and digital capacity building. In his view, Information ethics encompasses information preservation while information accessibility also includes the need for multilingualism, and digital capacity building comprises information literacy and underpins information for development, as detailed in IFAP’s current priorities.
Mobilizing support to build inclusive knowledge societies
During this biannual Session of the Council, the 11th since the Programme’s creation in 2001, Council Members considered updating the IFAP Rules of Procedure; discussed IFAP’s role in the UNESCO response to COVID-19; reviewed the IFAP activities of 2018-2019 and 2020 as well as the implementation of the IFAP Strategic Plan 2017-2021. They studied the Programme’s financial situation and resource mobilization, its modalities of operation, Results Framework, and communication strategy as well as visibility.
Council Members also began a reflection on the future orientation of IFAP as the Programme pursues its goal to build inclusive knowledge societies with a human-centric approach. This reflection will continue under the leadership of the IFAP Bureau and culminate in a renewed Strategic Plan for the Programme, set to be aligned with the next Programme and Budget of UNESCO for 2022-2025.
Recalling that IFAP supports UNESCO Member States in developing, implementing and upholding inclusive policies and international standards in six priority areas of work, the IFAP Chairperson emphasized how the provision of means to enable the Programme carry out the goals and priorities set out by the Council is an integral part of Council Members’ responsibilities.
Through a document of decisions and recommendations (IFAP-2020/COUNCIL.XI/11) adopted at the end of the Session, the IFAP Council called on its membership “to amplify their efforts and initiatives, particularly as related to fund-raising, to increase the ability of IFAP to carry out its priorities and goals, especially within the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.”
About IFAP
The Information for All Programme (IFAP) is a unique UNESCO intergovernmental programme that supports Member States in formulating information policies aimed at building inclusive and sustainable Knowledge Societies. Through IFAP, member and partner governments pledge to harness opportunities offered by technology to create equitable knowledge societies. The Programme focuses on information policymaking at the international, regional and national levels. It shares experience and lessons learned from high-level events, studies and capacity building initiatives that promote digital inclusion based on sound data relevant to the SDGs.