News
United Nations General Assembly WSIS+10 High-Level Meeting adopts a milestone outcome document
On 15-16 December 2015, the United Nations General Assembly held the WSIS+10 Review High-Level Meeting on the implementation of the World Summit on the Information Society. UNESCO themes and approaches figure prominently in the outcome document, the IGF was prolonged for 10 years 鈥 and there is more good news.
In his address to the United Nations General Assembly, Mr Getachew Engida, Deputy-Director-General of UNESCO, underscored that UNESCO is the main 鈥渟oft-power actor鈥 in the World Summit follow-up, facilitating implementation of 6 out of the 18 action lines. While infrastructure, devices and connectivity were important, they were 鈥渨orth little鈥 if girls, women, boys and men did not know how to use them, did not have the knowledge to develop content or have the right to freed expression, privacy or access. Only with such 鈥渟oft鈥 dimensions could ICT deliver its promise. He called for the international community to move away from information societies and instead aim towards inclusive 鈥渒nowledge societies鈥 in order to make information actionable and relevant, particularly in terms of sustainable development. 鈥淚n this age where the limits of our exploitation of the planet are so evident, we must invest in our ultimate renewable resource, which is human freedom, ingenuity, creativity and knowledge,鈥 he stated.
UNESCO鈥檚 voice was well heard in the overall WSIS+10 Review process, which started with the first WSIS+10 Review Event in UNESCO in 2013 and closed with the adoption of the Outcome Document by consensus at the United Nations General Assembly this week.
The outcome document recognizes that 鈥渢he same rights that people have offline must also be protected online鈥, 鈥渃all[s] on States to take all appropriate measures necessary to ensure the right to freedom of opinion鈥, affirms the 鈥渃ommitment to bridging digital and knowledge divides鈥, and the ambition 鈥渢o move beyond 鈥渋nformation societies鈥 to 鈥渒nowledge societies鈥, in which information is not only created and disseminated, but put to the benefit of human development.鈥 Many other UNESCO facilitated themes, including the protection of journalists, ICT and education, cultural diversity, science, access to information and knowledge, people with disabilities, multilingualism, indigenous peoples, media and information literacy, capacity building, local content and ethics are also addressed.
On 15 December, UNESCO organized a side event titled 鈥溾. Attended by 170 participants and moderated by the Mr Engida Getachew, this side event explored new joint actions to implement the WSIS+10 outcomes. Among the panelists were Ms. Ellen Blackler (The Walt Disney Company, for ICC), Ms. Constance Bommelaer (ISOC), Ms. Arun Chinmayi (National Law University, India), H.E. Mr. Benedicto Fonseca (Brazil), Ms. Githaiga Grace (Kenya ICT Action Network), Mr. Veni Markovski (ICANN), Mr. Paul Mitchel (Microsoft) and H.E. Mr. Daniel A. Sepulveda (USA).
Mr Engida also co-vice chaired the United Nations Group on the Information Society (UNGIS) meeting, where the adoption of the UN Chief Executive Board statement on WSIS+10, prepared by UNGIS, was highlighted as an exemplary way to coordinate UN positions. It was also decided that UNESCO will be the 2016-17 UNGIS chair.
In the ITU organized meeting on 鈥溾, Mr Getachew Engida, together with Mr. Malcolm Johnson, Deputy Secretary-General of the ITU, welcomed the panel and audience.
As a first step towards the implementation of the WSIS+10 outcome documents, UNESCO is now preparing with the ITU, UNCTAD and UNDP the 2016 WSIS Forum, which will be held in Geneva from 2-6 May 2016.
