[Fwd: [bytesforall readers] Open letter to UNESCO]

-------- Original Message --------
Subject: [bytesforall_readers] Open letter to UNESCO
Date: Sat, 13 Nov 2004 21:13:08 +0530
From: Frederick Noronha <fred@bytesforall.org>
Organization: BytesForAll.org

http://www.funredes.org/mistica/carta_unesco.htm?lan=en

Open letter to UNESCO, initiated by MISTICA virtual Community, after knowing about an agreement
between UNESCO and MICROSOFT Corporation. The letter ask for the divulgation of the terms of the
agreement to allow the evaluation of its interest for Developing Countries. Adhesion to the letter
is possible using the frame below.

-------------------------
Mr. Koïchiro Matsuura Director General of UNESCO, <K.Matsuura@unesco.org>
Mr. Abdul Waheed Khan, Subdirector General for Information and Communication <aw.khan@unesco.org>

As social activists in the field of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) for
development, we applaud those activities of UNESCO directed towards placing knowledge in the public
domain and, in particular, promoting FLOSS (Free Libre and Open Source Software) in developing
countries. We recognise and value the battles fought by UNESCO in the context of the World Summit
for the Information Society. This position, from an intergovernmental organisation, is one of the
closest to the position of civil society.

In this context it is with surprise that we receive news of an agreement between UNESCO and the
Microsoft company, proposed for application in the fields of information, communication, education
and learning. Our perplexity grows with the knowledge that at the same time UNESCO is finalising an
important agreement on cultural diversity.

Naturally we acknowledge UNESCOs authority to establish agreements with those companies which it
considers most appropriate to support its struggle to close the digital divide. But, on the other
hand, we suggest that the Microsoft company is actually increasing its agreements with international
organisations in this field, which can be legitimate for its commercial interests but not
necessarily for the interests of developing countries. In fact many indications lead us to interpret
these agreements as part of a defence strategy against the expansion of FLOSS adapted for the less
developed countries, especially in the field of the use of ICT for development (education, social
inclusion, cultural diversity, etc.).

As active observers in this field, conscious, as you are, of how transparency is one of the
pillars of the Information Society which we both desire, and to be able to make a professional
evaluation of how the impact of the agreement will not be able to endanger the clear path which has
been established in this respect, as much for UNESCO as for other organisations, we ask you
courteously to make the details of this agreement public.

UNESCOs Observatory of the Information Society appears to be the appropriate place for the
publication of public information in agreement with its observer function.

Thanking you in anticipation, we send cordial greetings and our best wishes.

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Frederick Noronha 784 Near Convent, Sonarbhat SALIGAO GOA India
Freelance Journalist TEL: +91-832-2409490 MOBILE: 9822122436
http://fn.swiki.net http://www.livejournal.com/users/goalinks
fred at bytesforall.org http://www.bytesforall.org

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