To the participants
of the International conference
“UNESCO between Two Phases
of the World Summit on the Information Society”

Greetings to the participants of the International conference “UNESCO between Two Phases of the World Summit on the Information Society” who convened in Saint Petersburg under the auspices of UNESCO.

Nowadays, when Information and Communication Technologies are developing at the pace that was unimaginable before, when digital divide is growing in the world, when technologies are being used to achieve unjust aims, the voice of authoritative people, sharing and implementing UNESCO principles, is of particular importance.

I would like to emphasise that support of the Government of the Russian Federation acknowledges that our country is interested in cooperation with UNESCO, especially on the threshold of the Tunis phase of the World Summit on the Information Society.

I hope that results of the conference and outcome recommendations will give another evidence of possibility to apply in practice international strategy of the partnership of all development forces – government, business, civil society, and research and education community, in order to create global Information Society for All.

I wish the forum to be fruitful, and all the best to its participants.

V. PUTIN