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Reports and Conclusions of the Thematic meetings organized by UNESCO

Abstract: 
A compilation of reports from four UNESCO preparatory meetings for the WSIS second phase. The “Freedom of Expression in Cyberspace” meeting held in Paris, France dealt with open media on the Internet, limits to freedom of expression and information, and codes and creativity in cyberspace. The “Multilingualism for Cultural Diversity and Participation of All in Cyberspace” meeting held in Bamako, Mali was split into two themes: “Investing in diverse and inclusive knowledge societies: policies, standards and indicators” and “Global experiences in building a multilingual cyberspace.” The meeting concluded that access to information in one’s native language is a human right and that multilingualism in cyberspace is a political imperative for responsible decision-making. The “ICT for Capacity-Building: Critical Success Factors” meeting held in Paris, France aimed to identify prerequisites and factors in successful capacity-building initiatives by collecting case studies from around the world and to give the IT industry a platform for technology that caters to both the development environment and emerging markets. The “Cultural Diversity in Knowledge Societies” meeting in St. Petersburg, Russia “encouraged the emergence of a strong cultural paradigm in cyberspace” through government action, culturally-oriented top-level domains, and digital libraries and programs. It also recommended partnerships for collective action between cultural professionals and political actors.
Institution: 
UNESCO
Year: 
2005
Region(s): 
Industry Focus: 
Other Services
Country: 
France, Mali & Russia
Datatype(s): 
Agreements
Policies