Washington, DC - The U.S. National Commission on Libraries and Information Science (NCLIS) announces the passage of the resolution to support the United States rejoining the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). The resolution approved by the Commission at its meeting on February 17, 2000 reads as follows:
Whereas the United States for many years until 1985 was a Member State and strong supporter of the goals, objectives, and programs, and projects of UNESCO; and
Whereas UNESCO, and especially its Directorate for Communications, Information, and Informatics, is increasingly pro-active in fostering initiatives that envision, encourage, and enlarge the role of libraries, museums, archives and information services, and the role of information professionals in those institutions, in helping Member States develop their national information infrastructures and link them to the global information infrastructure; and
Whereas newly elected top UNESCO officials, in particular Director-General Koichiro Matsuura, strongly support the facilitation of universal access forms of information, and the need to make every effort to reduce the current imbalances that overwhelmingly affect the majority of the world's population, depriving them of much needed information; and
Whereas in recent months UNESCO officials have actively and openly encouraged a dialog with the Commission to establish close partnerships in order to jointly pursue mutually advantageous activities; and
Whereas the U.S. Department of State has supported more direct working relationships between the U.S. library and information communities and UNESCO, including the exchange of librarians and information professionals: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the U.S. National Commission on Libraries and Information Science recommends that the United States rejoin UNESCO as a Member State as soon as possible.
The U.S. National Commission on Libraries and Information Science is a permanent, independent agency of the Federal government charged by Public Law 91-345 to appraise the adequacies and deficiencies of current library and information resources and services and to advise the President and Congress on national and international policies and plans.