[A2k] UNESCO on Access to information and knowledge

[Thiru Balasubramaniam]

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"How UNESCO is implementing the WSIS Action Plan"

http://portal.unesco.org/ci/en/ev.php-URL_ID=3D15920&URL_DO=3DDO_TOPIC&URL_=
SECTION=3D201.html



C3. Access to information and knowledge

ICTs allow people, anywhere in the world, to access information and
knowledge almost instantaneously. Individuals, organizations and
communities should benefit from access to knowledge and information.
a) Develop policy guidelines for the development and promotion of public
domain information as an important international instrument promoting
public access to information.

b) Governments are encouraged to provide adequate access through various
communication resources, notably the Internet, to public official
information. Establishing legislation on access to information and the
preservation of public data, notably in the area of the new
technologies, is encouraged.

c) Promote research and development to facilitate accessibility of ICTs
for all, including disadvantaged, marginalized and vulnerable groups.

d) Governments, and other stakeholders, should establish sustainable
multi-purpose community public access points, providing affordable or
free-of-charge access for their citizens to the various communication
resources, notably the Internet. These access points should, to the
extent possible, have sufficient capacity to provide assistance to
users, in libraries, educational institutions, public administrations,
post offices or other public places, with special emphasis on rural and
underserved areas, while respecting intellectual property rights (IPRs)
and encouraging the use of information and sharing of knowledge.

e) Encourage research and promote awareness among all stakeholders of
the possibilities offered by different software models, and the means of
their creation, including proprietary, open-source and free software, in
order to increase competition, freedom of choice and affordability, and
to enable all stakeholders to evaluate which solution best meets their
requirements.

f) Governments should actively promote the use of ICTs as a fundamental
working tool by their citizens and local authorities. In this respect,
the international community and other stakeholders should support
capacity building for local authorities in the widespread use of ICTs as
a means of improving local governance.

g) Encourage research on the Information Society, including on
innovative forms of networking, adaptation of ICT infrastructure, tools
and applications that facilitate accessibility of ICTs for all, and
disadvantaged groups in particular.

h) Support the creation and development of a digital public library and
archive services, adapted to the Information Society, including
reviewing national library strategies and legislation, developing a
global understanding of the need for =93hybrid libraries=94, and fostering
worldwide cooperation between libraries.

i) Encourage initiatives to facilitate access, including free and
affordable access to open access journals and books, and open archives
for scientific information.

j) Support research and development of the design of useful instruments
for all stakeholders to foster increased awareness, assessment, and
evaluation of different software models and licences, so as to ensure an
optimal choice of appropriate software that will best contribute to
achieving development goals within local conditions.