UNESCO
Issues Statement on WSIS Progress.
Ko•chiro Matsuura, the Director General of UNESCO, issued
a statement expressing concern about present drafts of the Declaration of
Principles and the Plan of Action of the World Summit on the Information Society
(WSIS).
According to Mr. Matsuura, the drafts lack an unambiguous "assurance that freedom
of expression is recognized as the fundamental principle underlying and informing
the development of the information society." He also expressed concern that the
reference to Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights is still
under negotiation in the present drafts. In addition, "Explicit references to
the role of media, including the role of traditional media, in the information
society in general and to their independence, pluralism and freedom, in particular,
need to be retained in the Summit texts," he said.
World Summit on the Information Society »
November 2003
