WEBCAST AND FINAL REPORT OF UN WORLD TELEVISION FORUM 2000 AVAILABLE ONLINE

WEBCAST AND FINAL REPORT OF UN WORLD TELEVISION FORUM 2000 AVAILABLE ONLINE

A webcast and the final report of the fifth United Nations World Television Forum, held on 16 to 17 November 2000, are now available on the United Nations Web site at www.un.org/tvforum.  The webcast, one of the most extensive ever of a United Nations event, includes streaming videos of all 77 speakers, complete with downloadable excerpts of the texts of each presentation and biographical data on the speakers.  The final report of the Forum is also available on the site in downloadable “pdf” format.

The Forum, entitled “TV@Globe//adding values in the digital era”, brought together close to 1,000 top media industry leaders and experts from around the world to discuss the fundamental challenges facing television in the digital age, especially its role in bridging “the digital divide”. 

In his speech to the Forum, Secretary-General Kofi Annan called on the television industry to become “an agent for change and a partner for progress” in helping to bridge the digital divide.  Recalling that overcoming the obstacles would require concerted measures from a whole range of actors, the Secretary-General expressed the hope that the television industry could contribute to the work of the planned Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) Task Force.

The final report of the Forum has therefore been presented to José María Figueres Olsen, Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Information and Communication Technologies, who is heading the Advisory Group developing the modalities for the ICT Task Force.

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