Towards Knowledge Societies

1. TowardsKnowledge Societies Presentation byAbdul Waheed Khan, UNESCOon the occasion of the Seminar UNESCO, Information Society and Knowledge SocietiesTehran, Islamic Republic of Iran, 17 May 2006

2. Content Overview • 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

3. “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

4. “The fundamental cure for poverty is not money but knowledge.” Sir W. Arthur Lewis

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

6. 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

7. The Knowledge Revolution • 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

8. Knowledge Prosperity Globalization Inclusion Ignorance Poverty Marginalization Exclusion Knowledge Divide or Digital Divide State of the World: Contrasts & divides

9. State of the World: Need of change

10. State of the World: MDGs for change

11. Knowledge Societies: Elements

12. Knowledge Societies : Principles • Freedom • Inclusiveness • Diversity • Empowerment

13. Knowledge and Development Economic Growth Social Development Knowledge Political Empowerment Cultural Enrichment

14. Knowledge and Development Human Capitals and Productivity Macro Economic Growth and Development Family Health and Nutrition Reduced Poverty Knowledge Personal Development Societal Development

15. 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)

16. 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

17. 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

18. 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)

19. 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 .

20. 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)

21. UNESCO: CI Sector (Paris Headquarters)

22. UNESCO: CI Sector (Field Offices) Advisors for communication and information (ACIs)in28 Field Offices in five regions

23. WSIS as international framework • General results of WSIS: International dialogue enhanced Frameworks for collaborative actions established Awareness of potential of ICT for development raised Debate shifted from technology to content Frame for global action • Results for UNESCO Visibility increased UNESCO’s value-adding role in ICT area recognized Partners mobilized Concept of Knowledge Societies recognized UNESCO’s leading role in implementation endorsed

24. International Action : WSISand UNESCO World Summit on the Information SocietyGeneva 2003 – Tunis 2005 - and beyond….. Access to information and knowledge C3 UNESCO’s Programmes C4 Capacity Building Special focus Cultural and linguisticdiversity, local content C8 C9 Media

25. 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

26. 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

27. Capacity building(Action Line C4) • 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

28. Cooperating to foster capacity building Information Literacy • 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 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

29. 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.

30. 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

31. 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.

32. 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.

33. www.unesco.org/webworld