Paris, October 11 {No. 2000-100} - UNESCO must be "the world forum where the international community can help give a meaning and a conscience to the globalisation processes", UNESCO Director-General, Koïchiro Matsuura declared as he outlined his vision of the Organization's strategies and programmes for the coming years to the Executive Board.

Mr Matsuura placed the strategy in the context of UNESCO's reform process underway and declared: "In order to move in the direction of 'globalisation with a human face', I propose to articulate the Organization's future activities along three strategic axes [...]: protecting the common good; enhancing diversity, and promoting knowledge sharing. [...] The first task, protecting the common good, responds to the Organization's ethical, universal vocation." He argued that this task requires that UNESCO develop "in its fields of competence principles, norms and standards, based on shared values, and if necessary new regulatory mechanisms in order to defend universally-recognised rights."

"Alongside the markets of economic goods, there are other dimensions to the life of societies", Mr Matsuura declared. He explained that these dimensions are culture, knowledge and research," pertaining to "another order: of symbols, of community life, of matters of the soul and mind" and "their mainstay is the long process of transmitting knowledge. Education", which he qualified as, "the number one common good." But, he pointed out, it is a good which "we cannot even properly call a 'common good' unless and until all have access to it. One which we will never be able to call a 'common good' if those in charge of the State are not convinced of their continuing responsibilities. Unquestionably one which cannot be subjected to market forces alone."

UNESCO must also play a role in ensuring that consideration is given to the ethical implications of scientific and technological advances. In this field, Mr Matsuura said that UNESCO must provide both governments and public opinion with guidance and principles concerning areas such as the life sciences, water, atmospheric space, and energy. It must also face the challenge of the new information and communication technologies. UNESCO has a duty to promote access for the greatest number to information belonging in the public domain, be it scientific, cultural or educational. It must also strengthen intercultural understanding, Mr Matsuura explained, stressing: "UNESCO cannot stand by as the threat looms up of inward-looking attitudes, intolerance and xenophobia."

The second strategic axis - enhancing diversity - seeks "to encourage local responses to global processes, taking into account the diversity of needs and aspirations, environments and lifestyles, identities and cultures. The Director-General argued that "UNESCO must with every breath defend the maintenance of diversity in all its forms: biological diversity, cultural and linguistic diversity, the mosaic of cultural expressions that is known as our cultural heritage, both tangible and intangible. [...] Diversity also means adapting school textbooks and educational contents to the specific contexts of the learner: that is what makes them good or bad. And diversity should also be the rule in cyberspace, as well as in audiovisual and media production."

Regarding the third axis of UNESCO's strategy - promoting knowledge sharing - Mr Matsuura declared: "In the emerging knowledge societies, the Organization has a duty to promote access for all to information and knowledge, whether by the new or the more traditional channels and media. [...] The potential of the new information and communication technologies is fast becoming one of the big new thrusts in the notion of knowledge transfer. I venture to suggest that they will even be useful in preserving its traditional forms."

The Director-General highlighted two key concerns underpinning these policy choices: the fight against poverty, especially extreme poverty; and the need to draw on the new information and communication technologies to develop education, science and culture.

Concerning the near future, the 2002-2003 Draft Programme and Budget, Mr Matsuura emphasised the refocusing of UNESCO's activities: "I have chosen to make drastic proposals by retaining five high priorities fields of action to which I propose to attribute budgetary increases of at least 50% compared to their present funding. These five areas are: basic education; water resource research; ethics of science and technology; diversity, intercultural pluralism and dialogue; and access to information for all, particularly to public domain information."