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UNESCO communication and information programme

Building knowledge societies  
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UNESCO communication and information programme

UNESCO has set itself the goal of building knowledge societies. To do this, it encourages freedom of expression and press and promotes independent media, universal access to information and cultural and linguistic diversity. Given the revolutionary changes created by new technologies, UNESCO also sees itself as an international forum for reflection and debate on the societal, cultural, ethical and legal consequences of this upheaval on the “information society”. While new media present a number of opportunities and possibilities for development, they also come with risks attached: the danger of cultural and linguistic homogenisation, a widening divide in information distribution between rich and poor countries, the risk of marginalising groups within the population and the loss of documentary heritage caused by fast-paced technological advancements.

Documentary heritage
Memory of the World

The objective of the UNESCO Memory of the World programme is to preserve and protect documents of all kinds – books, manuscripts, audiovisual materials – and to provide access to this knowledge for as many people as possible. The essence of cultural development is based on long-term protection of prior knowledge. The Memory of the World programme should make the public aware of the considerable and time-sensitive potential for losing documents. Austria has 13 entries in the International Memory of the World Register and 41 documents and collections in the National Memory of Austria Register.

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Press freedom
Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights

Ever since its foundation in 1945, UNESCO has advocated for the implementation of Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in a number of ways. This means, above all, pluralism in the media and independent media in all countries of the world, as well as independent journalism with no restrictions by repression and censorship.

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