Side event: UNESCO High-Level Symposium, Geneva, 2003
Building Knowledge Societies - from Vision to Action
9-10 December 2003, Palexpo Conference Center, Geneva
The UNESCO High-Level Symposium on the eve of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) brought together eminent political and intellectual world leaders to debate main implications and challenges for the construction of knowledge societies. The event was opened on Tuesday, 9 December at 3:00 p.m. by UNESCO's Director General, Koïchiro Matsuura with Nitin Desai, Special Representative of the Secretary-General of the United Nations for WSIS, Marc Furrer, Secretary of State for WSIS of Switzerland and Adama Samassékou, President of the WSIS Preparatory Committee. Four heads of states participated in the two panels (9 and 10 December): Olusegun Obasanjo, President of Nigeria, Vaira Vike-Freiberga, President of the Latvia, Joaquim Alberto Chissano, President of Mozambique and Chairman of African Union and Boris Trajkovski, President of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. Among the other panelists were eminent experts such as Gary Becker, Nobel Prize winner in Economics, Monkombu S. Swaminathan, Chairman of M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation of India, Lawrence Lessig, Stanford Law School, Valdas Adamkus, Former President of Lithuania, John Gage, Chief Researcher and Director of the Science Office of Sun Microsystems and Abdul-Muyeed Chowdhury, Executive Director of BRAC of Bangladesh. The High-Level Symposium was organized by UNESCO together with the Swiss Federal Office of Communications (OFCOM).
Documents
- Summary of the debates
Speechs: - Opening address by Mr Koïchiro Matsuura
Director-General of UNESCO (in French) - Opening Address by Mr Nitin Desai
Special Representative of the Secretary-General of the United Nations for WSIS - Opening Address by Mr Marc Furrer
Secretary of State for WSIS, Director-General, Federal Office of Communications of Switzerland - Opening address by Mr Adama Samassékou
President of the WSIS Preparatory Committee (in French) - Keynote address by H.E. Ms Vaira Vike-Freiberga
President of Latvia - Keynote address by H.E. Mr Joaquim Alberto Chissano
President of Mozambique; Chairman of African Union - Intervention by Mr Gary Becker
Nobel Prize winner in Economics (US) - Intervention by Mr David Cunliffe
Minister of State and Associate Minister of Finance, Revenue, Communications, Associate Minister for Information Technology of New Zealand - Intervention by Mr Monkombu S. Swaminathan
Chairman of M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation (India) - Intervention by Mr. Surapong Suebwonglee
Minister of Information and Communications Technology of Thailand - Intervention by H.E. Mr Valdas Adamkus
UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador for the Construction of Knowledge Societies, Former President of Lithuania - Intervention by Mr Joergen Ejboel
Chairman of the Board JP-Politikens Hus (Denmark) - Intervention by Mr Robert Martin
Director of the U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services (US) - Keynote address by H.E. Mr Olusegun Obasanjo
President of Nigeria (in English) - Keynote address by H.E. Mr Boris Trajkovski
President of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia - Intervention by Mr John Gage
Chief Researcher and Director of the Science Office, Sun Microsystems (US) - Intervention by Mr Lawrence Lessig
Professor, Stanford Law School (US) - Intervention by Mr Abdul-Muyeed Chowdhury
Executive Director, BRAC (Bangladesh) - Intervention by Ms Khedija Ghariani
Director-General of the Tunisian Agency for Frequencies, Ministry for Communication Technologies and Transport of Tunisia