Press
Release No.2002-21
GOVERNMENTAL
REPRESENTATIVES FROM 26 COUNTRIES TACKLE DIGITAL DIVIDE
Paris, April 15
In 2000, only 0.4 percent of people living in Sub-Saharan Africa
were internet users, compared to 54.3 percent of US residents*.
Seeking
ways to redress the imbalance, experts from 26 countries from
all regions gathered in Paris today for the first meeting of the
Intergovernmental Council for the Information for All Programme.
The
three-day meeting at UNESCO Headquarters is chaired by Graciela
Rodriguez Baca of Peru. The Council will meet every year. It will
study measures aiming to bridge the digital divide and propose
activities for implementation under UNESCO's Information for All
Programme.
The
Information for All Programme was established in 2001 to foster
debate on the political, ethical and societal challenges of the
emerging global knowledge society and to carry out projects promoting
equitable access to information. It reflects the growing awareness
that information is playing an increasing role in generating wealth
and development, and that participation in the "global knowledge
society" is essential for social and individual development.
Recognizing
the need to promote access to public domain information, the Information
for All Programme will focus on five areas:
·
Development of international regional and national information
policies based, in particular, on the establishment of international
consensus on the concept of universal and equitable access to
information as a basic human right;
· Development of human resources and capabilities for the
information age, focusing on training and the creation of training
networks;
· Strengthening institutions as gateways for information
access, especially developing a UNESCO portal to information institutions
worldwide;
· Development of information processing and management
tools and systems, including the analysis of regional needs and
policy planning;
· Information technology for education, science, culture
and communication to assist all UNESCO's programmes in formulating
and taking informed decisions.
Among
other measures, the Council will study possible steps to deal
with the increasingly urgent question of digital heritage preservation,
as vast quantities of information contained on Internet pages
daily disappear without a trace.
In his opening address, UNESCO Director-General Koïchiro
Matsuura said: "We must look beyond the technical and gadget
appeal of ICTs [information and communication technologies] and
the Internet. We must ensure that these powerful tools and networks
are used effectively to combat poverty and foster development,
to create opportunities for education for all, to ensure cultural
and linguistic diversity and to empower civil society."
"[…]
The knowledge societies which we are now creating must be inclusive,"
Mr Matsuura said, cautioning that "today, their establishment
is hindered by numerous barriers, which are economic, educational
and social as well as technical in character."
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For
more information: http://www.unesco.org/webworld/news/2002/020412_ifap.shtml
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*Human
Development Report 2001, United Nations Development Programme.
