IFAP Bureau meeting sets stage for enhanced commitment

 

23-02-2011 (Paris)

The Bureau of the Intergovernmental Council of the Information for All Programme (IFAP) met for its 18th meeting at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris from 21 to 22 February 2011. The meeting provided an opportunity to review the substantial progress achieved in 2010 by IFAP Working Groups and some National IFAP Committees in the priority areas of information literacy, information preservation, information for development, information accessibility and information ethics.

 

Key outputs of the Working Groups included a draft Code of Ethics for the Information Society and five proposals for strengthening UNESCO’s work in building knowledge societies in the upcoming 2012-2013 biennium. The draft Code of Ethics for the Information Society was adopted by the Bureau for submission to the IFAP Council, before submission to the UNESCO General Conference for consideration.

 

Also, it was reported that in 2010 several National IFAP Committees, particularly in the Commonwealth of Independent States and Asia-Pacific, were active and conducted a number of training activities, national and regional conferences and published key policy documents.

 

Special attention was also given to identifying how the overall impact, effectiveness and visibility of IFAP could be improved and strengthened at the national and international levels. The meeting identified and agreed to implement strategies for widely sharing best practices and organizational structures that had contributed to the success of several National IFAP Committees, as well as for more effectively publicizing the various IFAP initiatives.

 

In reflecting on the work carried out during this 18th Bureau Meeting, Egveny Kuzmin, IFAP Chair, concluded, “Our work during these past days, in close cooperation with the UNESCO Secretariat, has better positioned and reinvigorated efforts to fulfil IFAP’s mandate. This work is very important as IFAP is the only intergovernmental programme focused on building inclusive and pluralistic knowledge societies. IFAP’s work and priorities are essential for both developing and developed countries.”

 

The IFAP Bureau is composed of the following eight Member States: Austria, Brazil, Ivory Coast, Kuwait, Latvia, Madagascar, the Philippines and the Russian Federation. It is chaired by Egveny Kuzmin (Russian Federation). In addition to Bureau members, the Meeting attracted a number of Member States and international NGOs.

 

The Information for All Programme was established in 2001 to provide a platform for international cooperation in the area of access to information and knowledge for the participation of all in the knowledge societies. IFAP focuses on ensuring that all people have access to information they can use to improve their lives. It is part of UNESCO and serves to promote the achievement of its goals.