評論
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As declared by the former Secretary-General of the United Nations, Kofi Annan, "information and freedom are indivisible." He said, "the information revolution is unthinkable without democracy, and true democracy is unimaginable without freedom of information."
誠如聯合國前秘書長科菲·安南所言，“信息與自由不可分割。若無民主，信息革命實難想象，而若無信息自由，真正的民主無從談起?！?/p>
Indeed, information plays an essential role in democratic societies. It helps debunk lies and counter disinformation; it undermines hate speech and encourages intercultural understanding. It helps combat extremism, promote informed decision-making and enhance transparency and accountability.
的確，信息在民主社會中發揮著至關重要的作用。信息可幫助揭穿謊言、對抗虛假信息；信息消弭仇恨言論、增進文化間了解。信息可幫助打擊極端主義、促進知情決策、強化透明和問責。
However, for information to play such an instrumental role, all people must have equal access to it – and countries must adopt constitutional, statutory and political guarantees to make this possible. According to our current figures, just over two-thirds of United Nations Member States have done so.
然而，要使信息發揮如此重要的作用，所有人都必須享有獲得信息的平等機會，而且各國必須從憲法、法律和政治上對此予以保障。從我們目前掌握的數據來看，僅略超三分之二的聯合國會員國做到了這一點。
For this reason, UNESCO works to protect and promote access to information as a fundamental human right and an essential step towards attainment of the Sustainable Development Goals. As part of these efforts, the United Nations General Assembly proclaimed 28 September as the International Day for Universal Access to Information – recognizing its role in development, democracy and equality.
為此，教科文組織致力于保護和促進信息獲取，將其作為一項基本人權和實現可持續發展目標的一個重要步驟。作為這些努力的一部分，聯合國大會宣布9月28日為“普遍獲取信息國際日”，承認信息獲取在發展、民主和平等方面的作用。
This International Day focuses on the challenges and opportunities of accessing information, including the role played by the Internet in this process. Digital technologies shape the way we communicate and access information globally – yet in Africa, for example, only 40 per cent of people use the Internet, compared to 66 per cent globally.
今年的國際日聚焦信息獲取方面的挑戰與機遇，包括互聯網在這一過程中所發揮的作用。數字技術左右著我們在全球范圍內進行交流和獲取信息的方式——然而，例如在非洲，只有40%的人使用互聯網，而全球這一比例為66%。
We must therefore not only accelerate and enhance efforts to make the Internet accessible. We must also work to ensure that all individuals are able to seek, receive and relay information, and engage in democratic processes.
因此，我們不僅必須更快和更好地實現互聯網的普及，我們還必須努力確保所有人都能夠尋求、接收和傳遞信息，并參與民主進程。
This means offering content that is diverse and available in multiple languages. It also means fostering skills such as media and information literacy so individuals can critically and effectively engage with content – another significant challenge in this digital age.
這意味著要提供多樣化和多語言的內容。這同時還意味著要培養媒體與信息素養等技能，使個人能夠批判性地、有效地參與到內容中去——這是當今數字時代的另一重大挑戰。
Today's societies need inclusive access to information to build just, peaceful, and sustainable futures. UNESCO therefore calls on countries around the world to embrace information as a global public good.
當今社會需要包容性的信息獲取，以創建公正、和平和可持續的未來。因此，教科文組織呼吁世界各國將信息視為一項全球公益物。
