About Conference

An International Conference “UNESCO between two Phases of the World Summit on the Information Society” will be held on May 17-19, 2005 in Saint-Petersburg (Russian Federation) under the auspices of UNESCO.

The Conference is organized with a view to clarify the next steps and key decisions of UNESCO with regard to the building of the global information society.

One of the main objects set by the conference is drafting recommendations for determining UNESCO`s position on further implementation of provisions of the main documents adopted at the World Summit on the Information Society.

The conference welcomes representatives of intergovernmental and international non-governmental organizations, public authorities in the sphere of culture, education, science, information and communications; representatives from business, civil society, research and education communities, mass media; political and public figures, and leading experts.

Main Organizers

• Ministry of Culture and Mass Communications of the Russian Federation
• Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation
• Ministry of Information Technologies and Communications of the Russian Federation
• Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation
• Federal Agency for Culture and Cinematography
• UNESCO
• The Commission of the Russian Federation for UNESCO
• Russian Committee of the UNESCO Program "Information for All"
• Institute of the Information Society
• The Centre of Informatization in the Sphere of Culture

Objectives

The conference will discuss the following issues:

1. Building the Information and Knowledge Societies: concepts, strategies and programs.
2. Human Capacity Building for Knowledge Societies. Person`s Information Culture.
3. Education for Knowledge Societies.
4. Science and Innovations in Knowledge Societies.
5. Cultural Diversity in Cyberspace.
6. Universal Access to Public Domain Information;
7. Development of Communications and Freedom of Expression.
8. Stakeholders` Partnership and Cooperation to Foster Information Society Development.
9. Business Environment for Knowledge Societies.
10. Technology and Infrastracture of the Information Society.
11. Policies of cultural and scientific heritage digitization and preservation.

Objectives

The conference covers plenary sessions, thematic meetings, sections, round tables, forums and seminars.

Conference proceeding will be published in Russian and English.

The working languages of the conference are Russian and English. Simultaneous and consecutive translation will be provided throughout the conference.

Venue

The Conference will be held in the State Complex "Palace of Congresses" (Konstantinovsky Palace) in Saint Petersburg and in the A.S. Popov Central Museum of Communications.