Cyberspace Recommendation and e-Heritage Charter on Agenda of UNESCO's General Conference

UNESCO’s General Conference, the Organization’s supreme governing body that meets every two years, will hold its 32nd session from September 29 to October 17 at Headquarters in Paris.

The main item on the agenda of the General Conference will be the examination and adoption of UNESCO’s draft Programme and Budget for 2004-2005, and the preparation of the same for 2006-2007. Other major items on the agenda include:

A preliminary draft international convention for the safeguarding of the intangible cultural heritage;

A draft Declaration concerning the intentional destruction of cultural heritage;

A draft international Declaration on human genetic data;

A draft Recommendation on the promotion and use of multilingualism and universal access to cyberspace;

A draft Charter on the preservation of the digital heritage.

The General Conference will also debate the desirability of drawing up an international standard-setting instrument on cultural diversity and study a proposal for UNESCO to prepare an international anti-doping convention in sport.

During the General Conference, a roundtable of education ministers will be organized on the theme of “The Quality of Education” (Oct. 3-4) and another (Oct. 9-10), for communication and information ministers, “Towards Knowledge Societies”, held as part of the preparation of the World Summit on the Information Society which will take place in Geneva in December.

Fonte: UNESCO