Thu, 23 Oct 2003 19:28:34 GMT

UNESCO statement on universal access to information. On October 14, a UNESCO Ministerial Round Table Meeting (Paris, October 9-10) issued communiqué, Towards Knowledge Societies. The communiqué ranks “universal access to information and knowledge” on a par with “freedom of expression” as a priority for the world community. Excerpt: “No society can claim to be a genuine knowledge society if access to knowledge and information is denied to a segment of the population. We therefore affirm the need for universal access to information and knowledge. By access we imply: infrastructure and connectivity; content; affordability; information literacy; know-how for use and development; education; and, the free flow of opinions and ideas.” For more detail, see the meeting press release. [Open Access News]