The announcement is a bit late, but some may want to
take note and monitor its results online...
> Message: 1
> From: Jeanette Hofmann <jeanette@wz-berlin.de>
> To: plenary@wsis-cs.org
> Date: Fri, 22 Apr 2005 11:27:16 +0200
> Subject: [WSIS CS-Plenary] [Fwd: Multilingualism in
Cyberspace Conference Organized by UNESCO
> and Partners in Bamako, Mali, 6-7 May 2005]
> Reply-To: plenary@wsis-cs.org
>
>
> Hi, all, pls find below an invitation to a thematic
meeting organized by
> UNESCO as part of the second phase of WSIS.
>
>
> Ms Elizabeth Longworth, Director of the Information
Society Division,
> asked me to inform you about the conference on
"Multilingualism for
> Cultural Diversity and Participation of All in
Cyberspace" that UNESCO
> is organizing in Bamako, Mali, on 6 and 7 May 2005, in
partnership with
> the African Academy of Languages (ACALAN), the Agence
> Intergouvernementale de la Francophonie (AIF) and the
Government of
> Mali, as a thematic meeting in preparation for the
second phase of the
> World Summit on the Information Society.
>
> The Conference builds on the recognition of the
importance of cultural
> and linguistic diversity in the digital world and will
highlight the
> fundamental importance of removing barriers to access
and participation
> of all on the Internet.
>
> The meeting will draw on the expertise of all
stakeholders, including
> governments, international, regional and national
organizations,
> academic, scientific and professional communities,
non-governmental
> organizations and other actors. It will identify and
present concrete
> actions in the area of linguistic diversity that
governmental and
> non-governmental players can implement, both on the
policy and
> application level, to achieve a multilingual
cyberspace.
>
> The discussions will focus on multilingualism from two
perspectives:
> policies and standards needed to ensure inclusive
knowledge societies;
> and global experiences in building a multilingual
cyberspace.
>
> The meeting is open for the participation of experts
from governments,
> international organizations, academia, the private
sector and civil
> society.
>
> The results of the meeting will be disseminated at
international fora
> and will be made available to the participants of the
second phase of
> WSIS in Tunis through a Report, including
recommendations on the
> implementation of activities in the field of
linguistic diversity in
> cyberspace, as advocated in the WSIS Action Plan.
>
> The event is one of UNESCO's thematic meetings in
preparation for the
> second meeting of the World Summit on the Information
Society (Tunis,
> Tunisia, 16-18 November 2005). Other meetings - all
contributions to
> operationalizing the Organization's concept of
"Knowledge Societies -
> that have already been or will be organized this year,
include a meeting
> on "Freedom of Expression in Cyberspace" (3-4 February
2005, UNESCO
> Headquarters, Paris, France); "ICTs for
Capacity-Building: Critical
> Success Factors" (11-13 May 2005, UNESCO Headquarters,
Paris, France)
> and "Cultural Diversity" (17-19 May 2005, St.
Petersburg, Russian
> Federation).
>
> The Conference website is
> http://www.unesco.org/wsis/meetings/multilingualism
>
> With best regards,
>
> Elena Iasyreva
> Information Society Division
> Communication and Information Sector
> UNESCO
> 1, rue Miollis - 75732 Paris
> Tel.: + 33.1 45 68 37 90
> Fax: + 33.1 45 68 55 82
>