Raymond Morel
3663 days ago
" UNESCO’s Communication and Information Sector is canvassing a new concept of “Internet
Universality”, which could serve to highlight, holistically, the continued conditions for progress
towards the Knowledge Society and the elaboration of the Post-2015 Sustainable Development
Agenda. The concept includes, but also goes beyond, universal access to the Internet, mobile
and ICTs. The word “Universality” points to four fundamental norms that have been embodied in
the broad evolution of the Internet to date, and which provide a comprehensive way to
understand how multiple different aspects are part of a wider whole. For the Internet to fulfill its
historic potential, it needs to achieve fully-fledged “Universality” based upon the strength and
interdependence of the following: (i) the norm that the Internet is Human Rights-based (which
in this paper is the substantive meaning of a “free Internet”), (ii) the norm that it is “Open”, (iii)
the norm that highlights “Accessible to All”, and (iv) the norm that it is nurtured by Multitakeholder
Participation. The four norms can be summarized by the mnemonic R – O – A – M
(Rights, Openness, Accessibility, Multi-stakeholder). The “Internet Universality” concept has
very specific value for UNESCO in particular. By building on UNESCO’s existing positions on
the Internet, the concept of “Internet Universality” can help frame much of UNESCO’s Internetrelated
work in Education, Culture, Natural and Social Sciences and Communication-
Information for the strategic period of 2014-2021. As regards global debates on Internet
governance, the “Internet Universality” concept can help UNESCO facilitate international multistakeholder
cooperation, and it can also help to highlight what the Organization can bring to the
Post-2015 Sustainable Development Agenda.
By: Division of Freedom of Expression and Media Development
Communication and Information Sector"
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