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Sunday, August 19, 2007

UNESCO and Creative Content: Radio, TV, New Media

Media and newer information and communications technologies are being used to transform the global information infrastructure, and even poor nations are radically enhancing their national information infrastructures. Globalization is resulting in a flood of information from information rich countries into information poor nations. The media industry and the new information and communication technologies (ICTs) are thus transforming the perceptions and lifestyles of millions of people around the world.

Unfortunately, developing nations and poor people have lagged badly in the creation and sharing of content over these media. But often the information from Europe and the United States does not fit the needs of developing nations very well. For example, health and agricultural conditions in tropical countries are very different than in northern climates. Were developing nations to share more of their knowledge and experience via the media, economic and social progress could be enhanced.

Poor people also are not as well understood as they might be if they provided more information through their national information infrastructures. They might better participate in democratic processes to assure that governments met their needs and demands.

UNESCO, under the direction of its member states, has a broad program to enhance the capabilities of people in poor nations to create and share information with local content relevant to their situations and concerns.

Trainees in an audiovisual training (Bolivia)
Source: © UNESCO, N. Denissova

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