The World Media Electronic Forum (WEMF) was an event of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS), which took place from 10.-12.12.2003 in Geneva (SUI), in partnership with the United Nations Department of Public Information (UNDPI), the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and Switzerland, host country of the summit.
Five interesting major sessions over two days explored the present and future opportunities of media in the information society, with particular reference to the key role of media and television, universal access to information, freedom of expression, cultural diversity, economic development, social cohesion and education.
network4events coordinated and controlled the five major sessions between the involved tv-production company and the executive secretariat of the WEMF.
10.12.2003: Session 2 - Media freedom in the information society
Moderator:
> Yoshinori Imai, Executive Editor and international economic journalist at NHK
Speakers:
> José Roberto Marinho, Co-Chairman of Globo Organisations
> Tomas Olrich, Minister of Education, Science and Culture, Iceland
> David Flint, Chairman of the Australian Broadcasting Authority
> Iftekhar Chowdury, Chairman of the United Nations Committee on Information
> Timothy, Balding, Director General of the World Association of Newspapers
> Naomi Sakr, Specialist in the political economy of communication in the Arab world
> Jean Ziegler, Rapporteur Spécial de la Commission des Droits de l’Homme des Nation Unies
> Wadah Khanfar, Managing Director of Al Jazeera Satellite
> Habib Chawki Hamraoui, Directeur Général EBTV, Algérie
> Aidan White, Secretary-General, International Federation of Journalists
> Ahmet M. Oren, Chairman of Ihlas Holding
> Mervat M. Tallawy, Executive Secretary of the UN Economic & Social Commission for Western Asia
> Simon Seva Mboiny, Directeur de l’Office de Radio-Télévision Publique de Madagascar
> Andrew Onalenna Sesinyi, Secretary-General, URTNA
> Radhwan Abu Ayyash, Chairman of the Board of Palestine Broadcasting Corporation (PBC)
10.12.2003: Session 3 - Setting the world agenda
Moderator:
> Nik Gowing, main programme anchor, BBC World
Speakers:
> Sidiki N’Fa Konaté, Directeur de l’Office de Radiodiffusion Télévision du Mali
> Nitin Desai, Kofi Annan’s Special Adviser for the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS)
> Robert Rabinovitch, President and CEO of CBC/Radio Canada
> Carlo Nardello, RAI Strategic Marketing Director
> Danny Schechter, news dissector, writer, director, producer
> Dominique Wolton, Directeur de Recherche au CNRS
> Luis Ajenjo, Chairman of Compana Chilena de Comunicaciones and Vice-Chairman of the International Association of Broadcasting
> Javed Jabbar, Pakistan ex-Information and Media Minister
> Ignacio Ramonet, Director of Le Monde Diplomatique
> Nigel Milan, Managing Director, Special Broadcasting Service Corporation, Australia
> James Deane, Executive Director of Panos London
10.12.2003: View from the bridge
Moderator:
> Shashi Tharoor, United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Communication and Public Information
Speakers:
> Greg Dyke, Director General of the BBC
> John Rendon, CEO of the Rendon Group (TRG)
> Peter Sloterdijk, philosophe
> Juan Somavia, Director-General of the International Labour Organization (ILO)
