Communication, Information and Informatics, UNESCO

It would difficult to choose a better time and place for an international conference on freedom of expression, censorship and libraries. Although it may not be obvious to an idle onlooker, this conference is a very important and timely initiative. In the past, many, including UNESCO, used to consider the problems of freedom of expression and censorship almost exclusively in the context of mass media. In comparison, a library was often viewed as a much quieter place having nothing to do with spectacular crackdowns on the press jamming of radio stations. Of course, librarians themselves were well aware of the freedom of expression problems in their domain, and it was to a great extent thanks to the awareness of these problems in their professional organizations, such as our long-time partner IFLA.

In its Medium-Term Strategy for 1996-2001, UNESCO states in particular that "the principle of the ‘free flow’ of information should no doubt be widened to cover all forms of information that contribute to the progress of societies and their democratic functioning". Today’s conference is a concrete contribution to the implementation of that strategy.

As far as UNESCO is concerned, since its inception it has placed freedom of expression and freedom of information at the core of its mission. Its Constitution, adopted in November 1945, states that UNESCO Member States will "collaborate in the work of advancing the mutual knowledge and understanding of all peoples, through all means of mass communication" and "promote the free flow of ideas by word and image".

Three years later, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was proclaimed, whose Article 19 states:

"Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers."

We all know how often these principles were sacrificed during the Cold War. It is precisely the information field that became the principle battleground in the confrontation of the century. Much too often information, instead of being used for social development, was manipulated to serve political interests on both sides.

Today, nine years after the fall of the Berlin wall, we have every reason to rejoice at the democratic processes taking root in Eastern and Central Europe, in Central Asia, in Africa and in Latin America.

But can we say that freedom of expression has won and that censorship and other forms of limiting the free flow of information no longer exist? Regretfully, that is not the case.

Many political groups preached freedom of information when they were fighting for power. But once they got this power, their attitude to freedom of expression became much less convincing or convinced.

The temptation to restrict access to information or to manipulate the media is still very strong in many parts of the world. The mechanisms used to create a culture of secrecy vary. For example, they may take the form of an official secrets act, based on the presumption that all information is restricted unless the opposite is specified; national security laws may also be twisted to conceal information on vital issues such as radiation levels, or to ban any negative information on a country’s economy, like in Singapore, or to withhold any statistics on national economy.

Quite "popular" are so-called "libel and defamation" laws whose vague definitions often leave too much room for limiting the freedom of expression.

There is no need to remind this audience about the intricate system of censorship that existed in the Soviet Union and embraced all media and information resources, including those contained in libraries and archives. It is well known. What is less well known is the fact that this temptation to limit freedom of expression exists not only in totalitarian societies, but also in democratic ones.

Thus in France, some books and journals have recently been banned in municipal libraries in the town of Orange and other cities controlled by extreme-right National Front mayors.

One day, the history of censorship will be written and it will be a most revealing document.

An interesting initiative in this area has been launched in Norway.

The Norwegian Forum of Freedom of Expression is to set up a bibliographical database on censorship - past and present. It will be presented by the Norwegian Government at the opening of the Alexandria Library next year. The aim is to collect data on censorship in the world, in co-operation with national libraries. The database will be maintained and updated by the Alexandria Library in co-operation with relevant international organizations and institutions.

Attempts to limit freedom of expression are very often justified by the "fact" that freedom of expression is irrelevant to economic development and may even be an obstacle. Another argument is that the free flow of information destroys national cultures.

Of course, every form of communication - almost every type of information – is deeply cultural. Therefore any policy for communication and information that ignores the cultural dimensions of a society, a country or a region is doomed to failure. There would be no need to repeat this again and again if the principal development decisions taken at international or national levels did not very often view technology as the backbone of economy and economic growth as the sole solution to the world’s problems, ignoring completely cultural requirements.

An example of what happens when development is perceived only as economic growth can be seen in the Russian Federation today. All the aid that was poured into that country pursued the only purpose of developing a market economy. The market economy, instead of being a tool, became an end in itself. Russian science, culture and education were practically ignored. But when moral values are neglected, we get anarchy instead of democracy and Mafia instead of market economy.

The neo-liberal macro-economic mask did not fit the contours of the Russian face. Saks, an American adviser to the Russian Government, admitted frankly:

"We felt like we were invited to treat a sick person, but when we put him on the operating table and opened him up, we suddenly found that he had an absolutely different anatomy and organs, which we had not studied in our medical institute."

Thus, the question remains whether economic development alone, even when successful, leads to our living fuller and wiser lives.

If we consider economic growth only as percentage figures of Gross National Product (GNP), Gross Domestic Product (GDP) or other macro-economic statistics, the world record of the past decades may seem to be impressive.

The reverse side of the medal is that the richest fifth of the world's population has garnered 84 per cent of the world's Gross National Product (GNP) while the share of the poorest fifth is only 1.4 per cent of GNP, 0.9 per cent of world trade, 0.7 per cent of world savings and 0.9 per cent of domestic investment. Within a span of 30 years, the disparity between the incomes of these two extreme groups has increased from 30:1 to 60:1. Through purely economic growth, the disparity between the rich and the poor is increasing.

It is perhaps not the kind of economic growth that we all want. It is not the kind of economic growth that can be associated with democratization. It may even be counter-democratic.

Today, more and more often the question is put: does economic growth have priority over such issues as basic freedoms, human rights and other democratic values?

Among the media, the question is often asked: what is journalism, mission or business? I very often quote Adam Michnik, the well-known Polish journalist, who together with President Walensa spent some years in prison. He said :

"Journalism is both mission and business. Journalism without business is bankruptcy. And journalism without mission is cynicism."

Economic growth cannot be the sole objective of humanity. Economic growth for what? For all to live better and more wisely? Or for more money in the hands of the few?

The winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, Aung San Suu Kyi, in her 1994 address to the UNESCO World Commission on Culture and Development, stated:

"The true development of human beings involves much more than mere economic growth. At its heart, there must be a sense of empowerment and inner fulfilment."

The same concept was stressed by Federico Mayor, the Director-General of UNESCO in his Position Paper for the 1994 World Summit for Social Development:

"That development is a comprehensive process, as UNESCO has been advocating for decades, is now agreed upon by the international community. Beyond economic growth which is an engine and not an end it itself, development is first and foremost social; it is also intimately linked to peace, human rights, democratic governance, environment, and last but not least, the culture and life-style of the people".

In recent years, the names of some Asian countries - the so called "Asian Tigers" - have often been cited as examples of economic success, which they achieved, as many thought, thanks to the fact that their mass media were kept under control.

But then one day, "tigers" turned into "kittens". The situation in Malaysia or Indonesia is far from being reassuring. Unfinished houses, hotels and railways say a lot about the depth of the current financial crisis.

It is quite revealing, however, that in Japan or the Philippines – countries with relatively free information systems – it takes less time to restore economies after the financial hurricane than in those countries where a spurred up press does not dare to disclose corruption and ineffective economic policies.

The connection is obvious: Japan, which has the most free information system in the region, has preserved the strongest economic position even in the midst of the financial crisis. The Philippines and South Korea, despite some limitations, have a relatively free press and it takes them less time to regain their senses after the financial blow.

The situation in Indonesia, where a classical patriarchal regime is in place, is quite different. State TV stations provide news to all other channels on a compulsory basis. The so-called "alternative" TV and radio stations were often owned by relatives of the former President Sukharto. The first "independent" station is owned by Sukharto’s son. His daughters and sons-in-law controlled the educational TV channel. In the absence of the "watchdog" function of the press, relatives and friends enjoyed favouritism, received low-interest loans, etc., which led to the accumulation of debts and, finally, to the result we all know. As for the press, it could not ring the bell of alert. Even today, the economic measures being undertaken in the country may be insufficient to revive the economic miracle, it they are not supported by a free information system.

Paradoxically, the recent years have seen an upsurge of the most dangerous form of censorship - physical violence against those who seek or disseminate information, first of all journalists.

Today the profession of journalism has become one of the most dangerous in the world and it is so on all continents. In the past ten years, more than 600 journalists have been killed in the exercise of their profession. Generally, and sadly speaking, hunting down journalists is becoming a risk-free activity since crimes against journalists go unpunished in many countries.

When somebody else gets killed, there is hope that maybe not immediately, maybe in five, ten or fifty years but the killer will be found. That is not the case with murders of journalists. I will no be surprised if one day, the criminal community will build a monument to the "unknown killer of journalists" and many rulers and politicians will bring flowers to it.

The General Conference of UNESCO last year adopted Resolution 29, in which it states that the assassination of journalists goes beyond the fact of depriving people of their lives, in that it involves a curtailment of expression, with all that this principle implies as a limitation on the freedom and rights of society as a whole. It calls upon the authorities "to discharge their duty of preventing, investigating and punishing such crimes and remedying their consequences".

A recent initiative supported by UNESCO is the International Freedom of Expression Exchange (IFEX) Alert Network, which, since September 1992, monitors violations of freedom of information throughout the world. Today, the IFEX network groups 300 members in 80 countries. It has not only enhanced the worldwide collection, production and distribution of information on all issues related to press freedom but also increased exchanges between developing countries. IFEX issues some 1000 alerts a year, a weekly release in three languages, and launches joint campaigns. The IFEX database on the Internet can be consulted on its website: http://www.ifex.org/

When in possession of detailed and verified reports on violations of press freedom, professional organizations can directly request UNESCO to intervene. Most often the first step to resolving a case is to bring it to the attention of the Permanent Delegation of the Member State concerned and request that it be conveyed to the relevant authorities.

In cases of repeated or mass violations, UNESCO’s Director-General intervenes directly either through diplomatic channels or, as a last resort, through public calls to action. In several cases, imprisoned journalists have been released and that means that all those efforts have not been in vain.

Currently, UNESCO is exploring possibilities of supporting similar networks to protect all intellectuals, including librarians and information specialists.

Long before the advent of radio and television, books were the first conduits for the free flow of information. Even the appearance and rapid development of the printed press, radio and television did not belittle this role of books, which remain main pillars of freedom of expression. Thus, the circulation of "samizdat books" provided valuable support for the independence of thought in the former Soviet Union for many years. Furthermore, books in national languages, despite all the restrictions, were the main arms in the defence of these languages and cultures. National libraries also played and continue to play a vital role in supporting national cultures.

The UNESCO Public Library Manifesto states that the public library is "a living force for education, culture and information" and " an essential agent for the fostering of peace and spiritual welfare through the minds of men and women". UNESCO believes that collections and services should not be subject to any form of ideological, political or religious censorship, nor commercial pressures.

In this context, I would like to congratulate IFLA on the setting up of the Committee on Free Access to Information and Freedom of Expression (IFLA/FAIFE) and the very recent creation of the IFLA/FAIFE Office in Copenhagen thanks to the Danish Library community, the City of Copenhagen and the Danish government. UNESCO will co-operate with IFLA to promote the intellectual freedom rights, freedom of expression and freedom of access to information and the vital mission of libraries as gateways to knowledge.

In adopting a strong public stance on freedom of expression, IFLA is setting a standard for other professional associations. This could be the beginning of a very large community of professional associations, all of which are committed to protecting and defending individual human rights, whatever they might be.

Communication is not simply a tool for the expression of ideas and opinions, but is very often a catalyst for development of civil society. The full exercise of free expression allows all social sectors to debate and construct solutions to social, economic and political problems through building social consensus and through sharing the information essential to democratic decision making.

Libraries help advance individual and community development. In particular, the public library is a significant resource for school children and adult learners, and an important source of information on careers and training opportunities. Moreover, public libraries help promote social cohesion and community confidence. Libraries are part of the cement that holds the social fabric together.

Regretfully, the importance of libraries is not always reflected in national policies. It seems that some ministers had used libraries to become ministers and when they did become ministers, they forgot about libraries. May I ask the librarians in this room: when was the last time you saw your ministers in your libraries? You can see a minister at a theatre or at a stadium, but, with very few exceptions, not in a library.

When we look at the distribution of the public libraries in the world, we find a huge imbalance. According to the Unesco Statistical Yearbook, the ratio of public library use is only 0.2% in Uganda compared to 57.8% in the United Kingdom. Public libraries, in the United Kingdom, offer 2.2 books per person while only one book is available for 240 persons in Uganda. The number of books available seems to be telling us something about development. Human development is a comprehensive economic, social, cultural and political process, which aims at the constant improvement of the well-being of the entire population and of all individuals. Information is power and it plays an important role in reaching this aim.

In the emerging information society, where freedom of expression and freedom of information become increasingly dependent on the access to information and communication technologies, libraries can play a central role in ensuring that all people enjoy these freedoms. This right of access should not be dependent on an individual’s ability to pay, language or level of literacy. Libraries are ideally placed to serve as public gateways to information highways, providing as they do access, guidance and training to users. Public libraries may be one of the most cost-effective means for providing more people with access to a range of ICT-based services. That would be very much in line with the UNESCO Public Library Manifesto, which states that "the services of the public library are provided on the basis of equality of access for all, regardless of age, race, sex, religion, nationality, language or social status" and that "the public library shall in principle be free of charge".

Today, there are all kinds of financial pressure on the public sector dictated by the tough logic of the market economy. I say that not to criticise the latter. UNESCO is not against market economy. Market economy- yes, but "market society" – no.

Government services can be made more efficient if citizens can get information on-line and provide a "feedback". Feedback is participation and participation is democracy. Libraries are well placed to provide virtual meeting points between "the governors" and "the governed".

Librarians in the 21^st century will participate in the restructuring of the learning environment, dealing with the shrinking life cycle of information, competition of information providers and a growing demand for flexible, self-paced learning. Librarians have seen the computer world change many times, with hardware and software getting obsolete in a matter of months. And yet, through all of this technological change, the old values of co-operation, professional solidarity and working together for the public good have endured. These values enable libraries and librarians around the world to work together to further access to the planet’s information wealth.

Information and communication stimulate change, and change is essential for development.

In the context of development, similar problems can be addressed in different ways and the solution depends on natural and cultural environments unique to each society. It also depends on willingness to accept experiences already existing elsewhere.

Flexibility in acceptance very much depends on the cultural confidence and the degree of education of a society. The culturally confident societies do not resist change; they profit from the experiences of other societies taken through the filters of their own cultural identities.

The younger people in the emerging democracies are acutely aware of their national and cultural identity and many of them seek not only the means to live but also a reason to live. UNESCO aspires to help them in this search.

Most aid programmes have offered them material goods. None has endeavoured to bring aid to the mind, to the spirit. But, as many "developed" societies themselves have found out, material ease means nothing without a free mind and spiritual wealth.

It is up to us, to the intellectual community at large, to make sure that in tomorrow’s global society ideas flow freely, that not only the body, but also the mind has enough food to be shared without fear or mistrust. We owe it to children, our children's children and to all generations to come. This is their right to a better future, in which libraries will have their rightful place. Thank you.