|
Global Information Society 2007
This report by Eldis is one of the best primers I’ve read recently on the World Summit on the Information Society and the major players in world ICT policy. It has, I’m sure, its own biases but it provides good background on the summit, UNESCO, WIPO, UNDP and many of the other players in this space. If you have an open education project and you are seeking to develop a better understanding of how OER might play a role in global development, this is worth the time to read. I am interested to see that there are at least 10 WSIS activities discussed in the Tunis Agenda for which OER might play an important role:
- Building ICT capacity for all and confidence in the use of ICTs by all – including youth, older persons, women, indigenous peoples, people with disabilities, and remote and rural communities – through the improvement and delivery of relevant education
and training programmes and systems including lifelong and distance learning. - Implementing effective training and education, particularly in ICT science and technology, that motivate and promote participation
and active involvement of girls and women in the decision-making process of building the information society. - Improving access to the world’s health knowledge and telemedicine services, in particular in areas such as global cooperation in
emergency response, access to and networking among health professionals to help improve quality of life and environmental conditions. - Using ICTs to improve access to agricultural knowledge, combat poverty, and support production of and access to locally relevant agriculture-related content.
- Supporting educational, scientific, and cultural institutions, including libraries, archives and museums, in their role of developing, providing equitable, open and affordable access to, and preserving diverse and varied content, including in digital form, to support informal and formal education, research and innovation; and in particular supporting libraries in their public service role of providing free and equitable access to information and of improving ICT literacy and community connectivity, particularly in underserved communities.
- Enhancing the capacity of communities in all regions to develop content in local and/or indigenous languages.
- Strengthening the creation of quality e-content, on national, regional and international levels.
- Promoting the use of traditional and new media in order to foster universal access to information, culture and knowledge for all people, especially vulnerable populations and populations in developing countries and using, inter alia, radio and television as educational and learning tools.
- Promoting the development of advanced research networks, at national, regional and international levels, in order to improve collaboration in science, technology and higher education.
- Digitising our historical data and cultural heritage for the benefit of future generations.
(via Information Policy)
