Media's global responsibility to educate

Germany's foreign minister, Guido Westerwelle, will take part in the fifth of an annual series of international congresses that focus on the media's role in multidisciplinary topics of development and globalization. DW anticipates that 1,500 participants from 100 nations will attend the three-day convention being held at the World Conference Center in Bonn. In more than 50 panel discussions and workshops they will discuss subjects such as the right to education, cultural diversity, political culture and intercultural dialog, sustainability and new methods of learning.

The Deutsche Welle Global Media Forum draws media representatives from around the world – including staff from many of Deutsche Welle’s partner stations – and experts from the fields of politics, culture, business, development and academia.
Some of the illustrious guest speakers confirmed for this year include Jusuf Habibie, the former President of Indonesia; author and South African anti-apartheid activist, Denis Goldberg; Franz Josef Radermacher, a professor of informatics at the University of Ulm and a member of the Club of Rome; the director of the German Development Institute, Dirk Messner, who was just recently appointed to the newly formed Scientific Advisory Board on EU Development Policy; and Jürgen Boos, director of the Frankfurt Book Fair.

Education is the key to the future

We are all part of a global society overflowing with information that can be accessed practically anywhere and at any time. We are also confronted with a chilling statistic: Approximately 850 million people around the world are illiterate. It is increasingly evident that education, culture and upbringing form the key to peaceful co-existence and a sustainable future.

The 2012 Deutsche Welle Global Media Forum will focus on matters of education within the context of intercultural dialog and examine the role and responsibility of the media with their images and messages.

"The media can be a powerful instrument in implementing the right to education," says Director-General of DW, Erik Bettermann. "Digital media channels in particular are creating new possibilities of improving access to education and culture. The media have a global responsibility. They have a key task to serve as an instrument of education."

"Freedom of the press, quality of education and cultural diversity are key elements of strong and open civil societies," said Roland Bernecker, the Secretary-General of the German Commission for UNESCO. "Around the world, the images and messages of independent media play an important role. They can contribute significantly to fostering UNESCO's goals, such as the preservation of cultural diversity and improving educational work."

The 2012 Deutsche Welle Global Media Forum takes place under the patronage of the German Commission for UNESCO. Other partners include the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD), the Confederation of German Employers' Associations (BDA), the Association of German Chambers of Industry and Commerce (DIHK), the German Development Institute (DIE), the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), the World Catholic Association for Communication (SIGNIS), the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), CARE Deutschland Luxemburg, the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), the Commonwealth of Learning and other organizations.
The Deutsche Welle Global Media Forum will also provide the context for the Best of Blogs (BOBs) awards. Winners will be selected from nominations in six categories and 11 languages.

The conference is co-hosted by the Foundation for International Dialogue of the Sparkasse in Bonn and also supported from Germany's Federal Foreign Office, the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), the State Chancellery of the State of North-Rhine Westphalia, the European Regional Development Fund, the City of Bonn as well as Deutsche Post DHL.