Education is the future: The media's global responsibility

German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle is taking part in the fifth edition of the three-day conference. On Tuesday, June 26, he will speak at 10:30 on the topic "Working Together to Shape Globalization: Enhancing Dialogue and Expanding Partnerships." The former Indonesian president Jusuf Habibie and the Director of News and Current Affairs of Al Arabiya Nakhle El Hage will also take the podium on Tuesday.

German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle will address the conference on Tuesday in Bonn

DW anticipates that about 1,800 participants from 100 nations will attend the conference 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, global ethics and intercultural dialog, sustainability and new methods of learning.

Some of the other illustrious guest speakers confirmed for this year include 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, as well as the human rights activist Theary C. Seng from Cambodia.

Education as the key to the future

"The media can be a powerful instrument in implementing the right to education. They have a key task here to raise awareness. The media around the world bear the responsibility,"said DW Director General, Erik Bettermann.

Bettermann referred to the UNESCO figures showing that there are around 800 million illiterate people in the world. But he also noted that the world has become a global information society "that constantly delivers us knowledge at the push of a button from anywhere." Though the circumstances for people in a globalized world are very different, Bettermann said, "Upbringing, culture and education are a key for us all when it comes to living peacefully with one another as well as to development and intercultural dialogue. We must create lasting awareness of these issues because education and knowledge are fundamental in forming opinions."

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.

"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."

Deutsche Welle Global Media Forum 2012

Partners for the 2012 international media congress 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 many other organizations.

International Blog Awards - The BOBs:
Prize winners to be honored on June 26 in Bonn

The Deutsche Welle Global Media Forum will also provide the setting to honor the winners of the Deutsche Welle International Blog Awards – The BOBs. The eighth edition of the contest awarded prizes in six categories to blogs written in 11 languages. DW will welcome exiled Iranian blogger Arash Sigarchi and blogger Boukary Konaté from Mali to the event in Bonn.

The Deutsche Welle Global Media Forum 2012 takes place under the patronage of the German Commission for UNESCO. The conference is co-hosted by the Foundation for International Dialogue of the Sparkasse in Bonn and also supported by Germany's Federal Foreign Office, the European Regional Development Fund, the State Chancellery of the State of North-Rhine Westphalia, the City of Bonn, Deutsche Post DHL, the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) as well as the Fritz Thyssen Foundation.

Registration

Press representatives can register for free with hendrik.schott@dw.de T. +49.228.429-2148 – or during the conference at the press counter in the WCC Bonn .