[WSIS CS-Plenary] [Fwd: Multilingualism in Cyberspace Conference Organized by UNESCO and Partners in Bamako, Mali, 6-7 May 2005]

[Jeanette Hofmann]

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