Sustainable development and the information society: From Rio to Geneva

Abstract

Our world is facing very strong challenges and needs: a) Globalisation that divides as well as it unites the world, 2) natural resources and heritage that are to be preserved for the purposes of the whole mankind and for the coming generations, and cannot be reserved to a minority and for the needs of the present time only, 3) equity in access of these resources is to be established among humans. A better world is not only possible, it is absolutely necessary. We must use our technological, scientific, social, administrative capacities to face the needs of billions of people staying behind, to manage in a sustainable way the natural resources. We all know these necessities. But why are our actions so shy, so slow, and so tiny? Sustainability gives us a goal for the introduction and the use of new technologies. Sustainability asks for public awareness, capacity building, education (and not global soap opera), free exchange of information and opinion, monitoring, ethical guidance, social justice in access to information and tools, to define limits of abuse also. © 2005 by International Federation for Information Processing.