Media and ICTs

Contributing to Sustainable Development through the Media and Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs). -

Today, the process of globalization coincides with a fundamental transformation to knowledge-based societies – largely driven by information and communications technologies (ICTs) – where knowledge and information increasingly determine new patterns of growth and wealth creation and open up possibilities for more effective poverty reduction and sustainable development. Indeed, knowledge has become a principal force of social transformation. The leaders of virtually all countries have professed their desire to transform their countries into learning economies and knowledge societies.

Photo:© Yann Arthus-Bertrand/Earth from above/UNESCO

Knowledge-based and knowledge-led development holds the promise that many of the problems confronting human societies could be significantly alleviated if only the requisite information and expertise were systematically and equitably employed and shared, and new approaches put into place to ensure freedom of expression, access for all, and the free flow of information and knowledge.

In acting as a knowledge broker for effective sustainable development, UNESCO gives special emphasis to:

strengthening international scientific and intellectual cooperation and networking, leading to a sharing of knowledge, information, expertise and best practices ;

producing and disseminating scientific knowledge about modes of governing societies;

broadening access to information and knowledge, especially through the use of ICTs in community multimedia centres and through the public domain at both national and community levels and to deploy and apply both traditional and new media;

sensitizing media to the various dimensions and exigencies of sustainable development, so as to underpin efforts at promoting broad knowledge about sustainable development and practices.