1. NGO/UNESCO Liaison Committee –11/ 2004–Slide 1 UNESCO and WSIS: From Geneva to Tunis and Beyond Presented by Axel Plathe Senior Programme Specialist UNESCO, Information Society Division UNESCO a.plathe@unesco.org

2. NGO/UNESCO Liaison Committee –11/ 2004–Slide 2 “Promote the free flow of ideas by word and image” “Maintain, increase and spread knowledge” UNESCO’s mandate

3. NGO/UNESCO Liaison Committee –11/ 2004–Slide 3 Enhancing information flows and providing infrastructure is insufficient A more comprehensive vision and a clearly developmental perspective are needed. Rather “Knowledge Societies” than “Information Society” UNESCO’s Concept of Knowledge Societies

4. NGO/UNESCO Liaison Committee –11/ 2004–Slide 4 Knowledge Dissemination Knowledge Utilization Knowledge Preservation Knowledge Creation Building Knowledge Societies Human Needs and Rights Knowledge Societies Pluralism

5. NGO/UNESCO Liaison Committee –11/ 2004–Slide 5 UNESCO in Geneva: Strategic Lessons Consistency of UNESCO’s message ”Towards Knowledge Societies” Importance of endorsement of this message by UNESCO governing bodies & Ministerial Roundtable Meeting Continuous profiling and visibility using various approaches (Cyberspace Recommendation, Charter on Preservation of Digital Heritage, participation in all Preparatory events, organization of Summit events, etc.) Importance of relationship management (e.g. with Permanent Delegations and professional NGOs, including IFLA and ICA)

6. NGO/UNESCO Liaison Committee –11/ 2004–Slide 6 WSIS Geneva: Results Process more important than Summit event, as it created unique opportunity for international dialogue on Information Society issues UNESCO’s visibility as a key actor & profile of its competencies greatly enhanced Declaration of Principles reflects UNESCO’s main concerns: Freedom of Expression (Article 19) Universal access to information (Key role of libraries) Capacity-building in ICT and in using information resources Cultural and linguistic diversity Access to education (ICT-enhanced learning) Importance of traditional, free & pluralistic media Plan of Action with many opportunities for UNESCO

7. NGO/UNESCO Liaison Committee –11/ 2004–Slide 7 WSIS Action Plan Includes ca. 75 actions (total: 150 actions) for which UNESCO can claim responsibility as it directly affects its mandate and its areas of expertise 32 C/5 (Programme and Budget for 2004-2005) as framework for implementing actions

8. NGO/UNESCO Liaison Committee –11/ 2004–Slide 8 Action Plan - UNESCO’s areas of competence A.Media B.Access C.Education / Capacity-building D.Sciences E.Cultural diversity

9. NGO/UNESCO Liaison Committee –11/ 2004–Slide 9 A. Media Encouraging the media – traditional and new – to continue to play an important role in the Information Society Encouraging development of domestic legislation that guarantees independence and plurality of the media Promoting balanced and diverse portrayals of women by the media

10. NGO/UNESCO Liaison Committee –11/ 2004–Slide 10 B. Access Developing policy guidelines for public domain information (already developed, potential role for IFLA in implementing the Guidelines) Establishing multi-purpose community access points, need to make better use of library infrastructure Supporting capacity-building for local authorities / local governance Developing digital public library/archive services Facilitating access to periodicals and books

11. NGO/UNESCO Liaison Committee –11/ 2004–Slide 11 C. Education/Capacity-building Developing programmes to eradicate illiteracy using ICTs and libraries Promoting e-literacy skills for all Developing ICT-based alternative educational delivery systems, notably for achieving Education for All targets Using ICTs to meet the educational needs of information professionals Developing distance learning, training and other forms of education as part of capacity-building programmes

12. NGO/UNESCO Liaison Committee –11/ 2004–Slide 12 D. Sciences Promoting electronic publishing, differential pricing and open access initiatives such as Open Archives Promoting ICT use and networks to share scientific knowledge Promoting long-term systematic and efficient collection, dissemination and preservation of scientific digital data Promoting collaborative IPR models for sharing technological and scientific know-how

13. NGO/UNESCO Liaison Committee –11/ 2004–Slide 13 E. Cultural Diversity Creating policies that support cultural and linguistic diversity - Recommendation on Universal Access and Multilingualism Promoting the production of cultural, educational and scientific content Developing local cultural industries suited to the linguistic and cultural context of the users Using ICTs for the preservation of natural and cultural heritage as well as intangible heritage Promoting understanding of other cultures as a means of facilitating global dialogue

14. NGO/UNESCO Liaison Committee –11/ 2004–Slide 14 Action I Action II Action I Action II Action I Action II Action I Action II Highlighting “Knowledge Societies” Freedom of Expression Universal Access to Information Cultural and Linguistic Diversity Equal Access to Education Actions Concept Principles Links to WSIS Action Plan Action I Action II Towards Knowledge Societies

15. NGO/UNESCO Liaison Committee –11/ 2004–Slide 15 ICANN? Issues Civil society Private sector Industry Standard bodies Academia National bodies: Governments International bodies: IGOs Internet Governance Features Stakeholders Users Autonomy Transparency Competence Participation Openness Stability Technical issues IP standards DNS Root server Access Dispute resolution Public domain Rights-holders’ interests Child protection Cybercrime Universal & equitable access Operational stability Privacy/Data protection Multi- lingualism Freedom of expression Cultural diversity Consumer protection Ethical, legal and societal issues

16. NGO/UNESCO Liaison Committee –11/ 2004–Slide 16 Financial Mechanisms UN Secretary-General established Task Force on Financial Mechanisms (TFFM) UNESCO’s position UNESCO neutral on pros/cons of a special Fund Promote an understanding that encompasses the principles for Knowledge Societies Ensure inclusion of other than financial aid (e.g. capacity-building, content provision) Ensure link to development agendas Encourage improved cooperation among existing funding and capacity-building mechanisms

17. NGO/UNESCO Liaison Committee –11/ 2004–Slide 17 Report Resolution Declaration of Principles Share common views Plan of Action Share objectives (what/when) Review actions Build concrete mechanisms for actions (who/how) Regional Meetings PrepComs Geneva Summit ITU WSIS-ES HLSOC Follow up Coordination Group (stakeholders) Thematic meetings (& Regional meetings) WG on Internet Governance TF on Financing Mechanism PrepComs DeliverablesModalitiesSecretariat Phase I Phase II Bureau Tunis Summit Bureau ITU WSIS-ES Secretariat for Coordination Group HLSOC Road Map to Tunis Group of Friends of the Chair

18. NGO/UNESCO Liaison Committee –11/ 2004–Slide 18 Between Geneva and Tunis – Actors PrepComs Bureau of the PrepCom Group of the Frieds of the Chair High Level Summit Organizing Committee (HLSOC) WSIS Executive Secretariat Same role as for Phase 1 Tunisian WSIS Secretariat Organizing committee: Habib Ammar Civil Society Caususes Other initiatives (e.g. wsis-online.net: platform for all stakeholders to identify issues of common concern)

19. NGO/UNESCO Liaison Committee –11/ 2004–Slide 19 Between Geneva and Tunis: UNESCO Capitalizing on banner headline "Towards Knowledge Societies" Operationalizing this concept by implementing the Action Plan Building on adopted positions: Recommendation on the Promotion and Use of Multilingualism and Universal Access to Cyberspace" UNESCO Universal Declaration on Cultural Diversity UNESCO Charter for the Preservation of Digital Heritage Ministerial Round Table on Knowledge Societies Involving Member States (Briefing Sessions for Delegations, etc ) Involving professional NGOs (with official status with UNESCO UNESCO, such as IFLA and ICA, meeting NGO-Liaison Committee/UNESCO 29/4) Organizing events around themes like ‘Freedom of Expression’, ‘Cultural/linguistic Diversity’, ‘ICT for Reaching the Marginalized’, and ‘Capacity Building’

20. NGO/UNESCO Liaison Committee –11/ 2004–Slide 20 Principles for Stocktaking (I) Use stocktaking exercise for monitoring progress and tracking changes Develop a dynamic solution that facilitates identifying and building relationships Maintain clear links to the structure of the WSIS Action Plan Encourage and record input from all stakeholders (Governments, IGOs, Civil Society, Private Sector) Create synergies with other initiatives (e..g. Development Gateway, wsis-online.net)

21. NGO/UNESCO Liaison Committee –11/ 2004–Slide 21 Facilitate the development of online communities committed to implementing the WSIS Action Plan Take decision on passive, unqualified versus “validated” (criteria based) content contribution Use a single online platform of interoperable systems to create a primary repository of information on implementation activities Ensure editorial independence and transparency of the stocktaking process Only some of these suggestions will be realized Principles for Stocktaking (II)

22. NGO/UNESCO Liaison Committee –11/ 2004–Slide 22 WSIS Action Directory UNESCO has established an online tool for taking stock of its contribution to the implementation of the WSIS Action Plan Access by : categories of the WSIS Action Plan regions and countries types of actions UNESCO’s main fields of competence UNESCO’s four principles for Knowledge Societies Built on a robust, modular, database driven directory management platform (Gossamer-Threads LinksSQL)

23. NGO/UNESCO Liaison Committee –11/ 2004–Slide 23 UNESCO Directory Access by type of activities Access by regions and countries Access by WSIS Action Plan areas Access by UNESCO principles Access by UNESCO areas

24. NGO/UNESCO Liaison Committee –11/ 2004–Slide 24 Multi level descriptions Brief descriptions of activites in a given Action Plan area Detailed description of single entry

25. NGO/UNESCO Liaison Committee –11/ 2004–Slide 25 Community Participation Search functions available throughout the Directory High level of interactivity/commun ity building through «Add a comment» screen available for each activity

26. NGO/UNESCO Liaison Committee –11/ 2004–Slide 26 Backoffice Easy to use and intuitive web based administration interface Content management can be fully decentralized by assigning specific editorial rights to specific content areas

27. NGO/UNESCO Liaison Committee –11/ 2004–Slide 27 UNESCO’s Offer UNESCO’s WSIS Directory management platform: oIs fully customizable oCan be tailored to specific needs oCan accommodate the management of different types of information through personalized look and feel oCan have different content managers for different categories of information oSupports multilingualism UNESCO’s WSIS Directory management platform is available for the stocktaking exercise by using: oUNESCO's technical infrastructure (servers, network, internet bandwidth) oUNESCO's IT experts

28. NGO/UNESCO Liaison Committee –11/ 2004–Slide 28 Process UNESCO participates actively in Preparatory Committee meetings (PrepComs) Regional conferences Working Group on Internet Governance « Group of friends of the President » Thematic meetings

29. NGO/UNESCO Liaison Committee –11/ 2004–Slide 29 Process UNESCO’s thematic meetings Exptected results Concrete actions identified Key activities “showcased” Strategic alliances established Themes Freedom of Expression in Cyberspace Harnessing the potential of ICTs, including satellites, for capacity building Multilingualism in Cyberspace Cultural Diversity Empowering citizens through knowledge

30. NGO/UNESCO Liaison Committee –11/ 2004–Slide 30

31. NGO/UNESCO Liaison Committee –11/ 2004–Slide 31 Building Knowledge Societies. Information for All Programme

32. NGO/UNESCO Liaison Committee –11/ 2004–Slide 32 Content Knowledge Societies o Definition o Principles IFAP and Knowledge Societies IFAP o Methods & Tools o Objectives o Actions o Areas o Partners o National Committees o Adminstration

33. NGO/UNESCO Liaison Committee –11/ 2004–Slide 33 UNESCO’s mandate “Promote the free flow of ideas by word and image” “Maintain, increase and spread knowledge” UNESCO: A focus on content UNESCO’s Mandate Enhanced UNESCO’s relevance in the information society

34. NGO/UNESCO Liaison Committee –11/ 2004–Slide 34 Enhancing information flows and providing infrastructure is insufficient A more complex, holistic and comprehensive vision and a clearly developmental perspective are needed. Rather «Knowledge societies» than «Information society» About Knowledge Societies

35. NGO/UNESCO Liaison Committee –11/ 2004–Slide 35 Know- ledge Dissemi- nation Know- ledge Utili- zation Know- ledge Preser- vation Know- ledge Creation Human Needs and Rights Knowledge Societies Pluralism About Knowledge Societies

36. NGO/UNESCO Liaison Committee –11/ 2004–Slide 36 Principles Freedom of Expression Respect for Article 19 of UDHR, freedom of the press, freedom of speech on the Internet Universal access to information and knowledge Infrastructure and connectivity; affordability; information literacy; know-how for use and development; education; free flow of information; public domain Respect for cultural/linguistic diversity Understanding and respect for other cultures; plurality and diversity of content and languages; importance of locally relevant content Quality education for all Access to education as a fundamental right; education as a tool for combating illiteracy, marginalization, poverty and exclusion

37. NGO/UNESCO Liaison Committee –11/ 2004–Slide 37 What is IFAP? Intergovernmental Programme created in 2001 Successor of General Information Programme (PGI) and Intergovernmental Informatics Programme (IIP) International framework for Facilitating reflection and debate Developing strategies, methods and tools Promoting networks Initiating pilot projects What is IFAP?

38. NGO/UNESCO Liaison Committee –11/ 2004–Slide 38 IFAP Methods & Tools How can IFAP make a difference? Uniqueness & influence of its intergovernmental nature IFAP’s ability to influence at the national level and to use its local network IFAP’s potential to contribute to the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals and to the implementation of the WSIS Plan of Action

39. NGO/UNESCO Liaison Committee –11/ 2004–Slide 39 IFAP Objectives Promote international reflection and debate on the ethical, legal and societal challenges of the information society; Promote and widen access to information in the public domain through the organization, digitization and preservation of information; Support training, continuing education and lifelong learning in the fields of communication, information and informatics;

40. NGO/UNESCO Liaison Committee –11/ 2004–Slide 40 Support the production of local content and foster the availability of indigenous knowledge through basic literacy and ICT literacy training; Promote the use of international standards and best practices in communication, information and informatics in UNESCO’s fields of competence; Promote information and knowledge networking at local, national, regional and international levels. IFAP Actions

41. NGO/UNESCO Liaison Committee –11/ 2004–Slide 41 IFAP Areas Area 1: Development of international, regional and national information policies Area 2: Development of human resources and capabilities for the information age Area 3: Strengthening institutions as gateways for information access Area 4: Development of information processing and management tools and systems Area 5: Information technology for education, science, culture and communication

42. NGO/UNESCO Liaison Committee –11/ 2004–Slide 42 Partnerships Why? to harmonize positions and policies to create a multiplier effect from improved communication and collaboration With whom? UNESCO Sectors International programmes within and outside the UN Stakeholder NGOs Private sector

43. NGO/UNESCO Liaison Committee –11/ 2004–Slide 43 National Committees What? o Increase awareness of IFAP’s purpose to capture imagination and resources o Encourage participation by Member States o Translate IFAP’s global objectives into national activities o Foster efficient and effective national practices, through international exchange Where? Afica: 5 Arab States: 3 Asia and the Pacific: 10 Europe and North America: 19 Latin America and the Caribbean: 4 Who? o UNESCO National Commission: 18 o Within a governmental policy body: 12 o Under the leadership of an operational, research or educational institute: 11

44. NGO/UNESCO Liaison Committee –11/ 2004–Slide 44 Administrative Structure Intergovernmental Council o Function: Guidance its planning and implementation o Twenty-six Member States of UNESCO o President: Daniel Malbert, France o Annual meetings in the first three years of its existence Secretariat: UNESCO (Information Society Division)

45. NGO/UNESCO Liaison Committee –11/ 2004–Slide 45 www.unesco.org/webworld/ifap