Civil Society Representatives: No Discrimination in Providing Access to Information
06-02-2003 ()
The Information Society should be based on human rights and fundamental freedoms, including freedom of expression, and access to information should be free of charge whenever possible: these are two of the statements of the some 350 participants of an online forum that UNESCO recently organized for civil society and NGOs in preparation of the World Summit of the Information Society.
Other main lines of action highlighted by the participants during the discussions from 9 December 2002 to 15 January 2003 were:
Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which contains principles that are endorsed by the international community, should now be implemented.
The information society should deal with information, knowledge, data and news.
Media using new communication technologies should be afforded the same status and rights as traditional print and broadcasting media.
For the digital divide to be overcome and ICTs to become as universal as possible, illiteracy must be eradicated, electricity must become generally available and there must be widespread appropriate user-training.
Governments should provide the widest possible access to officially held information, both off and on-line.
The UN system should act to create a universal and regional clearinghouses to share and expand already existing knowledge resources (database of local expertise, research, websites, CD-ROM, brochures, etc.).
From the importance for the information society to deal with information, knowledge, data and news to the importance of information literacy and from the need to link new and traditional communication technologies to the consideration that should be given to modifying international copyright regimes to provide freer use for non-profit purposes, some very crucial issues for the future of the information society have been addressed.
The purpose of the Forum was to enable NGOs to offer their proposals for the Summit around a number of themes agreed upon through several preparatory meetings (27-28th November 2002). The following themes were retained: general discussion, access, development and empowerment, content issues, education-training-and research, rights, emerging technologies, civil society in the WSIS and beyond. There was broad participation from all the major regions of the world. Contributions to the discussion can be consulted at http://wsisforum.unesco.org.
The final report of the Forum that is now available reflects the concrete recommendations that emerged. These recommendations are presented with a view into their incorporation into the action plan of WSIS, as a contribution of NGOs recognized as being representative for societal and technical expertise in the field of information and communication technologies and as having broad field experience.
The document has officially been transmitted to the President of the WSIS Preparatory Committee (Prepcom) for submission to the Member States participating to the Summit as the civil society input to the debate on contents and themes. The report is of particular relevance as the Preparatory Committee will soon meet in Geneva to settle some of the crucial issues to be addressed by the Summit in December 2003.
From the importance for the information society to deal with information, knowledge, data and news to the importance of information literacy and from the need to link new and traditional communication technologies to the consideration that should be given to modifying international copyright regimes to provide freer use for non-profit purposes, some very crucial issues for the future of the information society have been addressed.
The purpose of the Forum was to enable NGOs to offer their proposals for the Summit around a number of themes agreed upon through several preparatory meetings (27-28th November 2002). The following themes were retained: general discussion, access, development and empowerment, content issues, education-training-and research, rights, emerging technologies, civil society in the WSIS and beyond. There was broad participation from all the major regions of the world. Contributions to the discussion can be consulted at http://wsisforum.unesco.org.
The final report of the Forum that is now available reflects the concrete recommendations that emerged. These recommendations are presented with a view into their incorporation into the action plan of WSIS, as a contribution of NGOs recognized as being representative for societal and technical expertise in the field of information and communication technologies and as having broad field experience.
The document has officially been transmitted to the President of the WSIS Preparatory Committee (Prepcom) for submission to the Member States participating to the Summit as the civil society input to the debate on contents and themes. The report is of particular relevance as the Preparatory Committee will soon meet in Geneva to settle some of the crucial issues to be addressed by the Summit in December 2003.
Related themes/countries
· online discussion forum for Civil Society
· News Archives 2003
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