Universal access to information and knowledge can yield positive spin-offs to help governments of the world meet the Millennium Development Goals to halve poverty and unemployment by 2015.
Commemorating World Press Freedom Day today, United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) Director-General Koïchiro Matsuura said freedom of expression was central to promoting civil participation as well as encouraging human development and security.
He said UNESCO emphasised the concept of "knowledge societies" as it recognised the role of the media as well as the information and communication technology (ICT) in expanding access to information.
This, Mr Matsuura said would contribute towards meeting the MDGs while also bridging the digital divide in the world.
More than one billion people in the world live below one US Dollar per day per day while another 2.7 million live on less than two US Dollars per day.
To combat these shocking statistics, the UN Millennium Declaration of 2000 made poverty eradication the highest priority among the goals of the international development community.
Mr Matsuura said free and independent media should be recognised as a key element of eradicating poverty.
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