On June 7–9, 2022, the IV International UNESCO Conference “Tangible and Intangible Impact of Information and Communication in the Digital Age” was held in Khanty-Mansiysk (Russia) within the framework of the UNESCO Intergovernmental Information for All Programme (IFAP) and the XIII International IT Forum. The event was held under the support of the Government of the Khanty-Mansiysk Autonomous Okrug – Yugra, the Ministry of Digital Development, Communications and Mass Media of the Russian Federation and the Commission of the Russian Federation for UNESCO.
This international interdisciplinary forum was attended by diplomats, politicians, representatives of institutions and governing bodies in the field of culture, science, information and communication, prominent Russian and foreign experts in the field of philosophy, cultural anthropology, sociology, political science, psychology, linguistics, management, international relations, information technology, information security, pedagogy and journalism from 40 countries and from all geographic regions of the world.
At the opening ceremony, the conference participants were greeted by the Governor of the Khanty-Mansiysk Autonomous Okrug – Yugra Ms. Natalya Komarova, Chair of the IFAP Intergovernmental Council, Head of the UNESCO/IFAP Working Group on Information Literacy, Member of the Governing Board of the UNESCO Institute for Information Technologies in Education Ms. Dorothy Gordon and heads of several foreign diplomatic missions in Russia. Greetings to the conference were sent by the Executive Secretary of the Commission of the Russian Federation for UNESCO Mr. Grigory Ordzhonikidze.
The key feature of the conference is its interdisciplinary nature, which allows considering the development and the use of ICT in the context of digitalization and related transformations. This year, the participants discussed such topical issues as the impact of artificial intelligence and machine learning on global, regional and local socio-cultural processes; the role of changes in the sphere of communications in the development of states; freedom of expression in the digital environment and information security; revival of indigenous languages and linguistic security. Particular attention was paid to the use of artificial intelligence in linguistics, the consequences of the global transition to the online format, as well as the impact of digital platforms on work and life online and in the real world.
On the margins of the conference, the Governor of the region Ms. Natalya Komarova and the Chair of the IFAP Intergovernmental Council Ms. Dorothy Gordon held the working meeting where the parties discussed new areas of collaboration.
