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Statement by Dr Karol Jakubowicz, Chair of the Information for All Programme, on the occasion of the World Information Society Day, 2008
 
2008-16-05 (Paris)


"Access to information is fundamental to all aspects of our lives," says Karol Jakubowicz, the Chairperson of the Intergovernmental Council of UNESCO's Information for All Programme in a statement relase on the occasion of World Information Society Day that is celebrated each year on 17 May.
 
Access to information is fundamental to all aspects of our lives – in learning, at work, in staying healthy, improving our individual and collective rights, in being entertained, in knowing our history, in maintaining our cultures and languages and in participating actively in democratic societies. Documents adopted during the World Summit on the Information Society show a clear link between the human and the broader societal, cultural and economic dimensions of information access and use.

As noted in two documents adopted by the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe (Declaration on human rights and the rule of law in the Information Society, 2005, and Recommendation CM/Rec(2007)16 on measures to promote the public service value of the Internet), the ICTs offer unprecedented opportunities to enjoy human rights. As stated forcefully in WSIS outcome documents, this translates into an obligation for States and the international community to ensure enjoyment of these opportunities by everyone. More