WSIS-PCT.ORG

WSIS CIVIL SOCIETY WORKING GROUP on

PATENTS, COPYRIGHTS & TRADEMARKS

Contact : Dr. Francis Muguet

muguet@ensta.fr ; muguet@mdpi.net

Mobile Phone : 0671914210

Sunday 16 October 2005

Major Programme V
Projects relating to cross-cutting themes 0530

Promoting Free and Open Source Software (FOSS) and building capacities for the FOSS development of information processing and education, scientific, cultural software tools
05326

(page 215)

Regular budget Activities Proposed $300,000

Objectives. Building on UNESCO's Free Software Portal, the project aims to promote and encourage use of free and open source software (FOSS) in UNESCO fields of competence thereby contributing to the building of knowledge societies. Action will focus on (i) creating communities of practices abiding by Open Standards to create and maintain FOSS tools to create and allow access to Open Educational and Scientific Content; (ii) contributing to the development free Operating System distributions, that includes selected UNESCO open source software tools for processing information (Open CDS/ISIS, Open IDAMS, Open eNRICH, and Greenstone), communicating knowledge and facilitating education through ICT; (iii) supporting collaboration of FOSS experts and software developers in Africa, East Europe, Central Asia, Asia and Latin America and the Caribbean regions; and (iv) fostering FOSS technical ,scientific, educational, cultural and artistic applications as well as applications for creating an enabling environment for the promotion of freedom of expression and universal access.

Expected results at the end of the biennium. Awareness of potential of FOSS increased; equitable open access to and free sharing of information and knowledge enhanced; applications of FOSS solutions expanded, in particular in education , sciences, culture, arts, contributing to the promotion of freedom of expression and universal access.

2005-10-13T11:44:03