Latin American and Caribbean Symposium on Education, Science and Culture in the Information Society 18 to 21 of Febrary, 2002

The Ministry of Informatics and Communications of Cuba and UNESCO, through the Division for the Information Society from the Communications and Information Sector, call the holding of the Latin American and Caribbean Symposium on "Education, Science and Culture in the Information Society", to be held from the 18th to the 21st of February, 2002, in the Conventions Palace in Havana, Cuba, within the framework of INFORMATICS'2002.

The aim of SimpLAC'2002 is to offer a forum for reflection regarding the social consequences of the technological revolution of our time.

Information technologies can profoundly transform the way in which individuals organize their lives, how they interact with other people and how they participate in different fields of society. Work, training, learning and research, entertainment, citizen participation and government are only a few of the areas that are being affected by this changes. The results - positive and negative - of these transformations are considerable and demand that society adopt a watchful and practical attitude in face of this reality.

Results of special signification are expected from the World Summit on the Information Society to be held in Switzerland in December, 2003, which will be organized by the United Nations system under the high sponsorship of Mr. Kofi Annan, Secretary General, and under the direction of the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) in cooperation with UNESCO and other interested agencies.

This Symposium endeavors to contribute with its reflections to the promotion of more suitable solutions considering the situation of the countries in our region, regarding planning and development policies in the Information Society. Academicians, educators, business managers, technicians and authorities will participate, each contributing experiences that can have a positive impact in the coming years in Latin America and the Caribbean.

SimLAC'99, held in Aguas Calientes, Mexico, serves as an encouraging precedent with more than 200 participants including representatives from 11 countries. We hope to achieve a larger representation and richer debate in this next Symposium

Your attendance is very important and we are sure it will contribute to the success of SimpLAC'2002.