International Conference |
I am very grateful to President Putin for his decision to organize the Conference “UNESCO between Two Phases of the World Summit on the Information Society”.
We all share a very strong resolve, illustrated by the Declaration from the first phase of the World Summit in Geneva in December 2003, where it says in Principle 14: “We are resolute to empower the poor, particularly those living in remote, rural and marginalised urban areas, to access information and to use ICT as a tool to support their efforts to lift themselves out of poverty”.
I greatly appreciate that your meeting will address the key challenge of how to build inclusive knowledge societies. Over the past decade, information and communication technology (ICT) has been a powerful instrument and catalyst of change, affecting many aspects of our lives – the economic, the cultural, the educational and many more. And this transformation is only just beginning. Access to information and knowledge facilitated by ICT is increasingly shaping how we learn, how we express ourselves culturally and how we participate in our complex and fast-changing societies. Information and knowledge, in fact, are central to our prospects for development, poverty reduction and peace. Information and knowledge, and how they are generated, shared and used, are becoming the principal force of social transformation in our time.
However, despite its great potential, we all know that many people and nations do not have effective and equitable access to knowledge and, therefore, to development.
Given this situation, the concept of “knowledge societies” that UNESCO advocates as one of its contributions to international development strategies reflects its Constitutional mandate to “promote the free flow of ideas by word and image” and to “maintain, increase and diffuse knowledge”.
UNESCO’s concept of “knowledge societies” offers an inclusive, plural and holistic vision with a clear development-oriented perspective that captures the complexity and dynamism of current changes in the world.
The focus on how to build knowledge societies emphasises the importance of societies that are founded on freedom of expression; that pursue universal access to information and knowledge; that respect cultural diversity; and that build capacities through equal access to quality education.
The recognition of these principles in the new framework for international dialogue established by the World Summit on the Information Society will significantly advance the world’s attainment of the Millennium Development Goals.
I am delighted that such a wide range of experts from civil society worldwide will be involved in this Conference – this is very much in keeping with the acknowledgement by the United Nations and the World Summit of the need for new forms of solidarity, partnership and cooperation to address the digital divide.
I wish you every success in your deliberations and look forward very much to the outcomes of this important conference.
Koïchiro Matsuura