towards knowledge societies

TowardsKnowledge Societies

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Presentation byAbdul Waheed Khan, UNESCOon the occasion of the Seminar

UNESCO, Information Society and Knowledge Societies Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran, 17 May 2006



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State of the World Information & Communication and Development Towards Knowledge Societies International Framework for Action UNESCO’s Role World Summit in the Information Society (WSIS)

Access

Capacity building

Media

Content

Content Overview


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“The world has moved to a revolution which is built on knowledge, on technology and on information… knowledge, if it is properly transferred, if it is made available to all, gives the greatest opportunity for people to advance themselves and to fight against poverty.”

Paul Wolfowitz, World Bank President


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“The fundamental cure for poverty is not money but knowledge.”

Sir W. Arthur Lewis


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“The elimination of ignorance, of illiteracy and the needless inequalities of opportunities are objectives that are valued for their own sake.”

Amartya Sen


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The Knowledge Revolution

Triggered by both globalization and technology advances

Globalization relates to a number of economic reform trends including liberalization, privatization and decentralization

Technology is the mover in the age of globalization, especially the Internet, and its WWW


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Increased demand for « Knowledge » and the evolution from an agricultural to an industrial to a knowledge society

Globalization dictates stronger competition and the need for better skills attained through modern educational offerings

Education as a commodity and trans-border flow of knowledge as the technology eliminates the classic barriers of time and space

The Knowledge Revolution


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State of the World: Contrasts & divides

KnowledgeProsperityGlobalizationInclusion

Knowledge Divide or Digital DivideIgnorance

PovertyMarginalization

Exclusion


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State of the World: Need of change


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State of the World: MDGs for change


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Knowledge Societies: Elements


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Freedom Inclusiveness Diversity Empowerment

Knowledge Societies : Principles


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Knowledge and Development

Knowledge

Economic Growth

Cultural Enrichment

Social Development

Political Empowerment


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Knowledge and Development

Knowledge

Human Capitals and Productivity

Family Health and Nutrition

Personal Development

Societal Development

Reduced Poverty

Macro Economic Growth

and Development


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UNESCO’s role: Mandate & Function

UNESCO’s Mandate Promote the free flow of ideas by word and

image

Maintain, increase and spread knowledge

Functions Laboratory of ideas (e.g. Freedom of expression in cyberspace)

Standard-setter (e.g. Public service broadcast policies)

Clearinghouse (e.g. Archives and Libraries Portals)

Capacity builder in Member States (e.g. IPDC)

Catalyst for international cooperation (e.g. IFAP)


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UNESCO’s Role: Programme 2006-2007

Empowering people through access to information and knowledge with special emphasis on freedom of expression Creating an enabling environment for the promotion

of freedom of expression and universal access

Fostering community access and diversity of content Promoting communication development and

ICTs for education, science and culture Fostering media development

Advancing the use of ICTs in education, science and culture


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CI Sector: Intergvmntl’ Programmes

IFAP• Infostructures (legale

frameworks, etc)

• Information workers community

• Policy development and implementation

IPDC• Mass media, print

press

• Journalists

• Project funding and delivery

Contribute to building Knowledge Societies


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UNESCO’s role: Private Sector Partnership

Linking ethically-based approach and high-level technical know-how

Putting vision into practice Partners:

Microsoft (e.g. Syllabus for training teachers in ICT use)

Intel (e.g. Open source dissemination and teacher training)

CISCO (e.g. Networking and teacher academies)

Wolfram (e.g. Technical computing for developing nations’ researchers and scientists)


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UNESCO’s role: Partnership with Civil Society

Professional NGOs UNESCO National Commissions IFAP National Committees Types of cooperation:

Needs identification, project design and implementation

Formulation of strategy and policies Provision of technical assistance and expert

advisory services

.


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UNESCO: CI Sector Three areas

Communication Development

Freedom of Expression, Democracy and Peace

Information Society

Staff 56 staff at Headquarters

32 staff in 28 Field Offices in five regions

Two-years budget US$ 33 million(56% personnel, 44 % activities)


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UNESCO: CI Sector (Paris Headquarters)

AssistantDirector-General

Division ofFreedom of Expression

Democracy and Peace

CommunicationDevelopment

Division

InformationSociety

Division

Executive Office Administration

FinanceEvaluation


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Advisors for communication and information (ACIs)in28 Field Offices in five regions

UNESCO: CI Sector (Field Offices)


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General results of WSIS:International dialogue enhanced Frameworks for collaborative actions establishedAwareness of potential of ICT for development

raisedDebate shifted from technology to content

WSIS as international framework

Results for UNESCO

Visibility increasedUNESCO’s value-adding role in ICT area recognizedPartners mobilizedConcept of Knowledge Societies recognizedUNESCO’s leading role in implementation endorsed

Frame for global action


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C9

International Action : WSIS and UNESCO

World Summit on the Information Society

Geneva 2003 – Tunis 2005 - and beyond…..

UNESCO’s Programmes

Access to information and knowledge

Capacity Building

Cultural and linguisticdiversity, local content

Media

C3

C8

C4

Sp

ecia

l fo

cu

s


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Access to information & knowledge (Action

Line C3)

Community access (in the North and in the South)

Establish multi-purpose community access points

Provide affordable or free Internet access

Put special emphasis on rural and underserved areas

Research and development (Partnerships, University)

Promote R&D to facilitate accessibility of ICTs for all

Include R&D on access for the disadvantaged, marginalized and vulnerable groups


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Jointly promoting access

Community Multimedia Centres

• Combining local radio by local people in local languages with a telecentre facility with ICT access

• Providing and strengthening communication and information facilities at the level of local communities

• Offering basic tools for introducing and managing community-centred development and change

Research and development for access for all • Allowing 10% of world population with disabilities full

participation in the Information Society

• Integrating disability perspective in IT laws, policies and regulatory mechanisms

• Accommodating needs of persons with disabilities in R&D , including in design of hard- and software


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Information Literacy Promote e-literacy skills for all Take advantage of existing facilities such as

libraries, multipurpose community centres, public access points

Establish local ICT training centres

ICT for teacher training

Develop pilot projects to demonstrate the impact of ICT-based alternative educational delivery system

Use ICT for achieving Education for All targets, including basic literacy targets

Capacity building (Action Line C4)


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Cooperating to foster capacity building

Information Literacy

ICT for teacher training

• 35 million teachers required to achieve universal primary education by 2015

• ICT as only way to help training teachers

• UNESCO projects in ICT for teacher training, e.g. Sub-saharan Africa

• Providing people with skills/abilities for critical reception, assessment and use of information

• Raising awareness about the importance of information literacy at all levels of education process

• Establishing guidelines for integrating information literacy issues in curricula


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Media (Action Line C9)

Journalistic capacity building Encourage media professionals in developed

countries to establish partnerships and networks with the media in developing ones, especially in the field of training.

Role of traditional media Encourage traditional media to bridge the

knowledge divide and to facilitate the flow of cultural content, particularly in rural areas.


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Working together to develop media

Journalistic capacity building• Organizing training in journalism for print and

broadcast media

• Providing instruction in media management and training of media technicians and engineers

• Developing model journalism curriculum for developing countries and emerging democracies

Foster the role of traditional media• Developing free and pluralistic media with a global

approach to democratic development

• Empowering people to gain equitable access to knowledge and express themselves through free and pluralistic media


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Cultural Diversity and Content (Action Line C8)

Libraries Develop national policies and laws to ensure that

libraries, archives, museums and other cultural institutions can play their full role of content—including traditional knowledge—providers in the Information Society, more particularly by providing continued access to recorded information.

Content providers Give support to media based in local communities and

support projects combining the use of traditional media and new technologies for their role in facilitating the use of local languages, for documenting and preserving local heritage.


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Joining forces to foster content development

Libraries• Support to digitization projects and protection of

digital heritage (e.g. UNESCO’s e-Heritage Charter)

• Projects to the development of virtual libraries (e.g. Greenstone)

• Support to development of standards for metadata (e.g. ISSN)

Content providers

• Improve the endogenous production

• Support the distribution of quality audio-visual programmes in developing countries

• Exploit new ways of co-operation among governments, artists, industry leaders, broadcasters, etc.


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towards knowledge societies

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