November 2002 The Information Society in Asia and the Question of Cultural Diversity Dr. Susanne Ornager, UNESCO Adviser for Communication and Information in Asia & Pacific

Background  Information Society  Electronic networks and multimedia technologies  Comprehensive and interdisciplinary new approach  Different thinking  Rapid advancement in access to technology etc.  New breed greatly required

WSIS: Main focus The WSIS is concerned with the impact the information of the global information society is having on every aspect of life. The intention is to produce an international action plan for achieving the goals of the information society

WSIS: Organizational Structures  High patronage: UN Secretary General  Lead Role: ITU  High level organizing Committee (HLSOC) Heads of UN Agencies  Executive Secretariat (ES) Staff from Governments, UN agencies, Private Sector, Civil Society/NGOs; includes a Civil Society Division

WSIS : Basic objectives  Harness the potential of knowledge and technology for promoting the international development goals  Ensure a smooth coordination of the practical establishment of the information society around the globe  Create a unique opportunity for all key players to assemble at a high-level gathering and to develop a better understanding of the Information Society and its impact on the international community

WSIS: Dates  First Phase: Geneva 2003 To address the broad range of themes To adopt a Declaration of Principles and an Action Plan  Second Phase: Tunis, 2005 To focus on development themes To assess progress made To review the Action Plan

WSIS: Six proposed themes  Building infrastructure The role of telecommunications, investment and technology in creating the Information Society infrastructure and bridging the digital divide  Opening the gates Achieving universal and equitable access to the Information Society Meeting the needs of the developing world Information as a common public good

WSIS: Six proposed themes (continued)  Services and applications The implications of the Information Society for economic, social and cultural development The implication of the Information Society for sciences  The needs of users Consumer protection, Relevant content, reflecting cultural diversity and the right to communicate Ethics of the Information Society User training and Worker protection and workplace privacy

WSIS: Six proposed themes (end)  Developing a framework The roles of government, the private sector and civil society in shaping the Information Society Information: a common public good (public domain information) Intellectual property rights and legal exceptions Freedom of expression Telecommunication and Internet access tariff policies  ICT*and Education ICT as a lever for educational change The learning environment : ICT, teachers, learners and content The needs of currently employed workers ##

WSIS: ICT * Information and Communication Technology (ICT)

WSIS: Outcome 1.Declaration embodying a set of principles and rules of conduct aimed at establishing a more inclusive and equitable Information Society; and 2.Plan of Action formulating operational proposals and concrete measures to be taken so that all benefit more equitably from the opportunities presented by the Information Society.

WSIS: Preparation Calendar  PrepCom 2 (January (13-17) 2003, Japan) Examine draft documents to be presented at the Summit  PrepCom 3 (Second half 2003) Conduct final negotiations concerning the Declaration of Principles and Plan of Action

WSIS : UNESCO The Director General of UNESCO, Mr Koïchiro Matsuura, emphasized four point of interest to the organisation:  To find agreement on common principles for the construction of knowledge societies;  To promote the use of ICTs for capacity-building, empowerment, governance and social participation;  To strengthen capacities for creation and exchanges and scientific research and communication;  To enhance learning opportunities through access to diversified contents and delivery systems.

WSIS : UNESCO  What kind of knowledge societies should we build? Questions of equitable access, social inclusion, cultural diversity and human rights require us to consider not only the kinds of societies we want to create but also the relationships between different societies.

WSIS : UNESCO  The question raised helps to draw the attention away from the instrumental dimension of ICTs and towards the crucial matter of appropriate content.  What types of knowledge constitute “knowledge societies” and  How can we best harness ICTs in order to advance education, science and culture in inclusive and equitable ways.

WSIS : UNESCO Four key principles deserve particular consideration with the Summit preparatory process:  Equal access to education  Guarantee of a strong public domain of information  Preservation and promotion of cultural diversity, including multilingualism  Freedom of expression

WSIS : UNESCO UNESCO’s primary concern is that we build knowledge societies that are grounded upon respect for human rights and are genuinely open and inclusive. Education has to be linked to the generation or production of knowledge, the ways in which information and knowledge are shared, and the uses to which ICTs are put. It requires the encouragement of community-based approaches and local action.

Languages on the Net Total: 476 million net users -

Languages on the Net Total: 793 million net users -

WSIS: Multilingualism  Supporters of the dominance of one language on the Internet predicts that: English or Chinese will become the native language of a majority of the world sometimes in the 21 century  The dominance of English or Chinese doesn't really affect the future of the other languages of the world, since there are strong forces militating for the use of local languages on the Web

WSIS: Multilingualism  Solution can be: Worldwide effort by governments and international organisations to address the issue of multilingualism through adoption of action plans and policies, which would promote local languages on the Internet

WSIS: Cultural Diversity  Restricting the debate about cyberspace to a discussion of technical questions cannot serve the interests of the vast majority of the world’s citizenry to whom the internet holds the promise of more freedom, empowerment and development.  Will the Internet eventually create a single world such that differences and diversities among cultures will disappear?

WSIS: Cultural Diversity  A positive observation is to view the global and the local diversities as flexible implying that there is a constant action to decide what should be allowed in and what should be kept out  Further the globalization processes may lead to the creation of multiple popular and local cultures  The globalizing force does not create a single, monolithic cultural entity  It will change the local cultures, but the global and the local are always negotiated

WSIS : UNESCO  UNESCO considers multilingualism as a search for democratic public policy responses to cultural and ethnic diversity  UNESCO's Constitution stresses the "fruitful diversity of cultures", its highest principle is "the intellectual and moral solidarity of mankind“

WSIS : UNESCO  Increasingly, development planners are realising that language is an essential component and without the ability to communicate what their real needs are, people risk having solutions imposed on them and being denied access to information that can assist them to take their own decisions

WSIS : UNESCO  UNESCO distinguishes two main schools of thought on the Internet and language. The first views the Internet as representing a democratising force which will promote diversity and assist the development of other languages. Hence the second view sees it as reinforcing traditional patterns of inequality and furthering the interests of the North at the expense of developing countries.  UNESCO promotes language diversity on the Internet by employing the thoughts of the first school

WSIS: Concluding observations  Lewi Strauss said nearly 50 years ago: “The necesity of preserving the diversity of cultures in a world which is threatened by monotony and uniformity has surely not remained unnoticed by international institutions (...)” Although the society has changed there is still the use for diminishing the cultural and linguistic divide

Thank You