Marking Universal Access to Information Day in Sri Lanka
To mark this year’s International Day for Universal Access to Information (IDUAI), a conference on 28 and 29 September 2018 in Colombo, Sri Lanka will gather experts on the theme “Asian Digital Revolution: Transforming the Digital Divide into a Dividend through Universal Access”
The conference is organised by UNESCO and Sri Lanka’s Ministry of Telecommunications, Digital Infrastructure and Foreign Employment, along with the Ministry of Education, and International Media Support (IMS).
Worldwide commemoration of 28 September (IDUAI) reinforces UNESCO’s mission to support its 195 Member States to build Knowledge Societies on four pillars: universal access to information and knowledge; respect for cultural and linguistic diversity; freedom of expression; and quality education for all.
Mr Ranil Wickremesinghe, Prime Minister of Sri Lanka, will inaugurate the conference on the morning of 28 September. He will be joined by Mr Harin Fernando, Minister of Telecommunication, Digital Infrastructure and Foreign Employment, and Mr Akila Viraj Kariyawasam, Minister of Education.
The programme includes four high level panels on: The digital divide in Asia: persisting challenges and barriers to universal access; New technology opportunities and challenges in the service of Sustainable Development (including Artificial Intelligence, big data and the Internet of Things); Advancing the dividends of opening up: open solutions for universal access; and “De-risking” Information Access: countering online challenges to individual rights and fundamental rights and freedoms.
On the second day, there will be four half-day workshops on Open Scholarship and Access; Free and Open Source Software; Coding Education and Youth; and Right to Information.
Event website: https://en.unesco.org/the-asian-digital-revolution
