University of Hertfordshire awarded UNESCO chair

03 September 2009 Hertfordshire, University of

The University of Hertfordshire has been awarded a United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) Chair, which is the fourteenth to be established in the UK.

The creation of the new UNESCO Chair in Information and Computer Ethics at the University is in recognition of the fact that Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) have become a crucial factor governing everything from education, science, and culture to the sustainable development of civilizations. Ensuring that these powerful tools are used to build a fair and just multicultural society also raises pressing and unprecedented ethical challenges in the 21st century.

Luciano Floridi, Professor of Philosophy of Information, has been appointed as Chair holder. He will collaborate with international researchers, teachers and institutions and lead work on building bridges between research, policy-making, academia, and civil society.

The Chair has been established to promote an integrated system of research, training, information and documentation in the field of Information and Computer Ethics (ICE). It will help to facilitate collaboration between high-level, internationally-recognised researchers and institutions to help develop guidelines for the discussion of ethical problems and the resolution of existing difficulties concerning digital and online information. The Chair will also serve as an intellectual forum for the exchange of ideas and experience regarding the ethics of ICT,

The Chair will collaborate closely with major international programmes including UNESCO’s Ethics Education Programme, Global Ethics Laboratory, and Ethics around the World Programme.

The UNESCO Chairs Programme, which is also part of the University Twinning and Network Scheme (UNITWIN), was established in 1992 and conceived as a way to advance research, training and programme development in higher education by building university networks and encouraging inter-university co-operation through transfer of knowledge across borders. Currently, UNESCO Chairs and UNITWIN networks involve 770 institutions in 126 countries.

Commenting on the creation of the new UNESCO Chair, Professor Floridi said: “This is a remarkable indication of the crucial importance of the ethical impact of Information Technologies world-wide. It is also a significant recognition of the excellent work carried out at the University of Hertfordshire, which is ideally placed to lead future research in this innovative and highly interdisciplinary area of great social impact. The fruitful partnership between UNESCO and Hertfordshire will represent a unique opportunity to develop new ethical insights and guidelines for our information societies, at the highest international level. It is a great honour and a privilege to be appointed to the Chair and I look forward to the exciting initiatives that this new commitment will make possible.”

Professor Floridi will deliver an inaugural lecture to mark the launch of the UNESCO Chair in Information and Computer Ethics in the autumn. Further details will be available in due course.

http://www.unesco.org.uk/UNITWIN_UNESCO_Chairs.htm