Press release of the Inter-Parliamentary Union
Paris/Geneva 29 May 1996
N° 1

MPs TO MEET AT UNESCO ON CHALLENGES IN EDUCATION, CULTURE AND INFORMATION HIGHWAYS

Parliamentarians from around the world are arriving in Paris this week for the "Inter-Parliamentary Conference on Education, Science, Culture and Communication on the Eve of the 21^st Century". Organized jointly by UNESCO and the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), the world organization of parliaments, the conference - the first of its kind - will take place from 3 to 6 June, at UNESCO headquarters in Paris.

The Conference aims at identifying the main challenges for the next century in education, science, culture and communication - including the need to place a higher value on education, the impact of cultural rights on everyday life and the idea of an international code of conduct on culture, and the challenges presented by information highways and their impact on developed and developing societies.

These and related issues will be examined by MPs and experts who will also put together recommendations for concrete action both nationally and internationally.

The Conference will also enable UNESCO, in the context of its 50^th anniversary, to consult the international parliamentary community on the implementation of its medium-term strategy, and in general intensify its co-operation with parliaments and parliamentarians.

Parliamentarians from some 65 countries are already registered for the Conference which will open at 10 a.m. on Monday 3 June with an Inaugural Ceremony in meeting room II of the UNESCO building. Speaking at the opening will be Mr Federico Mayor, Director General of UNESCO; Dr Ahmed Fathy Sorour, President of the IPU Council (and Speaker of the Egyptian People's Assembly); Mr René Monory, President of the French Senate; Mr Philippe Séguin, President of the French National Assembly; and Mr François Bayrou, the Minister of Education of France.

In detail, here are the themes that the Conference will discuss:

Education for the 21st Century: Policies and Priorities - this debate will draw upon the report of the International Commission on Education for the Twenty-first Century, an independent commission under the chairmanship of Mr Jacques Delors. The report examines the major challenges that education systems will be called upon to address in coming decades, i.e. those of preparing young people who are fully conscious of their rights and responsibilities as citizens of their countries and of the world, proud of their cultures and origins, yet receptive to and tolerant of the ways and cultures of others and trained and equipped to participate effectively in the processes of development.

The guest speakers on this theme will be Mr Bronislaw Geremek, Member of the Diet (Polish Parliament), and Mr Victor Ordoñez, Director, UNESCO's Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific.

Culture and Development in the 21st Century: Pluralism, Diversity and Creativity -this debate will start with a presentation of the report of the World Commission on Culture and Development, which is chaired by Mr Javier Pérez de Cuellar and supported by UNESCO. The report documents the changing nature and growing importance of cultural issues and their impact on everyday life, and proposes the drawing up of an international code of conduct on culture. The more specific issues of cultural rights, a growing concern to nations in all regions of the world, will then be examined within the context of the constantly broader meaning being assigned to culture.

The guest speakers on this topic will be Mr Mahbub ul Haq, Member of the World Commission on Culture and Development and Editor of the United Nations Development Programme Human Development Report, and Ms Lyndel V. Prott, Chief, International Standards Section (UNESCO).

Information Highways and By-ways: Opportunities and Challenges - this debate will centre on the impact of the information revolution that is increasingly being felt in the world - the fact that it is raising high hopes but also causing some anxiety. Will the new technologies bring the power of information and knowledge to bear in improving living conditions and promoting the full enjoyment of freedoms or will they, on the contrary, destroy fragile cultures, impose the images and values of dominant cultures and alienate youth from the traditions that have sustained their societies for millennia?

The guest speakers for this item will be Dr Babacar Fall, General Coordinator of the Panafrican News Agency, and Mrs Anamaria Decock, Senior Population Communication Specialist, United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). They will try to identify key issues and concerns arising from this information revolution and explore the policy options open to decision-makers and the likely consequences of particular choices.

The Conference will close on Thursday 6 June with the adoption of a Final Document containing the conclusions of the four days of debate and recommendations for future action from the world parliamentary community.

The IPU, which currently has 133 member-parliaments, is the focal point for world-wide parliamentary dialogue on all issues of international concern. It also promotes the spread of parliamentary democracy and the involvement of parliamentarians, as direct representatives of the people, in international decision-making.

For more information, please contact:

Robin Newmann, IPU press officer, tel: (00.41.22) 734.41.50
UNESCO press service, tel: (00.33.1) 456.81746

A press briefing will take place on Monday 3 June at 1 p.m. in Salle III of the UNESCO building. Participants will be the Director general of UNESCO, Mr Federico Mayor, the President of the IPU Council and Conference Chairman, Dr Ahmed Fathy Sorour, and the Secretary General of the IPU, Mr Pierre Cornillon.