UNESCO - General Conference | About - Elections

Origin

On the recommendation of the PGI Council and IIP Committee, the General Conference authorized the Executive Board to create the Information for All Programme (30 C/Res. 36, 1999) merging the General Information Programme (PGI) and the Intergovernmental Informatics Programme (IIP). The activities carried out by these two programmes did no longer respond neither to the needs of the information society nor to the new requirements of UNESCO in this area (160 EX/Dec.3.6.1).

Mission of the Programme

To be a key participant in the fulfilment of UNESCO’s mandate to contribute to “Education for all”, to the “free exchange of ideas and knowledge” and to “increase the means of communication between peoples”; to contribute to narrowing the gap between the information rich and the information poor; to take direct initiatives, commission studies, facilitate cooperation, analyse and report on all aspects of access to and management of information; to give priority to working with all UNESCO sectors in the adaptation of ICT to their activities.

Mandate of the Council

To guide the planning and implementation of IFAP; to consider proposals on the development and adaptation of the Programme; to review and assess achievements; to define the basic areas requiring increased international co-operation; to promote participation of Member States in the Programme.

Composition

The Council consists of 26 Member States. Their 4-year term of office extends from the end of the ordinary session of the General Conference during which they are elected until the end of its second subsequent ordinary session. The term of office of half of the Members designated at the first election shall cease at the end of the 32^nd session. The Council is renewed by half, 13 members are to be elected at each ordinary session of the General Conference.
Member States elected at the 31^st session of the General Conference until the end of the 33^rd session: Bahrain*, Belarus, Benin, Brazil*,Cameroon*, Canada*, China, Colombia*, Cuba, France*, Germany, India*, Iraq, Japan, Madagascar*, Mauritania, New Zealand*, Nigeria, Peru*, Philippines*, Russian Federation, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden*, United Republic of Tanzania*, Zimbabwe.
The term of office of the Member States marked with an asterisk, the names of which were drawn by lot, will expire at the end of the 32nd session.

Geographical distribution among electoral groups*

Group	Seats
I II III IV V	5 3 4 5 9
Total	26

Bureau
elected during the 1st meeting of the Council

Chairperson: Mrs Graciela Fernandez Baca (Peru)
3 Vice-chairpersons :Mrs Martha B. Stone (Canada)
Mrs O. O. Omolayole (Nigeria)
Mr Ali Al-Mashat (Iraq)
Members :
Mr Ludovit Molnar (Slovakia)
Mr Carlos Eduardo Balen y Valenzuela (Colombia)
Mr Liang Zhanping (China)
Rapporteur : M. Laurence Zwimpfer (New Zealand)

Meetings foreseen during the biennium

Plenary session: once every 2 years. During the first 3 years of existence of the Programme: meeting once a year. (Article 3 of the Statutes)
First session of the Council: 15-17 April 2002

Sector/Division responsible

Communication and Information Sector
Information Society Division

URL of the site

http://www.unesco.org/webworld/ifap/council.shtml