January 1997 — Features

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UNESCO's Mission in the Promotion of International Cooperation

To elaborate on the programme and decisions of the Second International Congress, distinguished academics and scholars from a wide spectrum of countries made a significant contribution, particularly Sylvia Charp, Editor-in-Chief of T.H.E. Journal (USA); Yury Ershov, Novosibirsk University (Russian Federation); Pierre Mathelot, Conservatoire National des Arts et Metiers (France); Jef Moonen, University of Twente (The Netherlands); Paul Resta, University of Texas at Austin (USA); Michael Thomas, University of Texas at Austin (USA); Ubiratan d'Ambrosio, Universidade Estadual de Campinas (Brazil); and John Foster, independent consultant (UK).

Close relations existing between UNESCO and the International Conference on Technology and Education (ICTE) made it possible for the organizers to invite world-known experts as speakers at the Congress. These included Alexei Semenov (Russian Federation), Rockley Miller (USA), Bengt Bengtsson (Sweden), Peter Bollerslev (Denmark), Tom van Weert (The Netherlands) and David Walker (UK).

Prior to the July 96 Congress, UNESCO organized four regional expert meetings: Austin (USA), St. Petersburg and Vladivostok (Russian Federation), Dakar (Senegal); and six sub-regional meetings: Yalta, Novosibirsk, Moscow (Russian Federation); Harare (Zimbabwe); Twente (The Netherlands); Sofia (Bulgaria). Their purpose was to identify the priorities and needs of Member States concerning the introduction and implementation of ICTs into their educational systems, taking into account the socio- economic realities of the given countries.

The Congress was chaired by Vladimir G. Kinelev, Deputy Chairman of the Government of the Russian Federation, who delivered a welcoming address on behalf of President Boris Yeltsin. Colin Power, UNESCO's Assistant Director-General for Education, welcomed participants on behalf of the Director-General, Federico Mayor. Welcoming speeches were also delivered by Kurt Bauknecht, President of the International Federation for Information Processing (IFIP), Armando Rocha Trindade, President of the International Council for Distance Education (ICDE), and Viktor A. Sadovnichy, Rector of Moscow State University. The opening ceremony was covered by more than 150 correspondents and journalists representing major radio and TV broadcasting, as well as leading newspapers and specialized journals.

Objectives & Concerns

The Second Congress pursued three major objectives:

  • To analyse national, regional and international trends and experiences in the introduction and use of ICTs in educational systems;
  • To review the latest developments in ICTs and examine their application in education; and
  • To discuss international, regional and national policies for the use of ICTs in education and make recommendations for international cooperation.

One of the six major themes discussed in plenary and commission sessions referred to international cooperation and UNESCO's role in this respect. In addition, plenary sessions debate, amounting to some 20 hours, were broadcast worldwide daily via the Internet.