UNESCO

A report by the Broadband
Commission’s Working Group on
Education, led by UNESCO, indicated
that worldwide, over 60 million children
of primary-school age do not currently
attend school; almost half that number
never will. The situation worsens as
children grow older, with over 70 million
not enrolled in secondary school.
However with increasingly sophisticated
mobile devices now packing more
computing power, the Commission
believes broadband-connected personal
wireless devices could be the way to
provide them with access to education.
H.E. Mr Paul Kagame, President of Rwanda,
who co-chaired the Commission, stressed
that broadband should be regarded as a
basic utility, like water and electricity.
New sustainable
development strategies
for knowledge societies
Mobilizing key actors in favour
of Internet governance
In line with its commitment to
foster worldwide protection of human
rights, UNESCO supports and promotes
discussion on the ethical dimensions
of knowledge societies. This includes
shaping the evolution and use of the
Internet through the implementation of
principles, norms, rules, decision-making
procedures and specific projects.
This year, UNESCO organized several
events in support of sustainable
development strategies for knowledge
societies. In March 2015, it organized
a ‘CONNECTing the Dots’ international
multi-stakeholder conference, to discuss
© UNESCO
MOST PEOPLE IN SUB-SAHARAN
AFRICA DO NOT OWN A SINGLE BOOK
SCHOOLS IN POOR COUNTRIES
RARELY PROVISION TEXTBOOKS
7
BILLION
PEOPLE
ON EARTH
READING
IN THE MOBILE ERA
LARGE NUMBERS OF PEOPLE IN DEVELOPING
COUNTRIES READ BOOKS AND STORIES
ON INEXPENSIVE MOBILE PHONES
the first draft of a comprehensive study
entitled Keystones to Foster Inclusive
Knowledge Societies. This major global
event attracted some 300 participants
from governments, civil society, academia,
the private sector, inter-governmental
and international organizations, as well
as innovators and pioneers in the Internet
governance space. The study examines
current and emerging interrelated trends,
challenges and opportunities around access
to information and knowledge, freedom
BOOKS ARE SCARCE
4.5
BILLION
HAVE ACCESS
TO A
TOILET
LIBRARY PER POPULATION RATIO
UNITED KINGDOM
NIGERIA
1 : 15,000
1 : 1,350,000
BUT MOBILE PHONES ARE EVERYWHERE
6
BILLION
HAVE ACCESS TO
A MOBILE PHONE
MOBILE READING IS AFFORDABLE
of expression, privacy, and the ethical
dimensions of the information society.
The conference provided a major platform
to explore the findings of the study, and
to develop possible responses and options
to orient UNESCO’s future actions. In
addition, this UNESCO study, its findings,
recommendations and the partnerships
it has mobilized represent an important
contribution to the WSIS+10 review
process and the Post-2015 Sustainable
Development Agenda.
CELLULAR NETWORKS REACH
OVER 95%
OF THE WORLD’S POPULATION
Mobile phones,
tablets and
e-readers with
broadband
connectivity could
be the answer in
the global effort to
bring high-quality
education to people
everywhere, as seen
in this infographic
produced
by UNESCO.
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