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FIAM 3rd Summit on Internet and multimedia (Montreux, October 8-1, 2002) sought to draw from the varying experiences of multimedia associations worldwide and show how regional and national multimedia industries are tackling the issue of the digital divide and what efforts they are making to address inequalities of access to and use of digital technologies and content.

Montreux 2002 involved multimedia associations toward building strong consensus around industry priorities and projects designed to bridge the digital divide and to identify the private and public sector actors with whom our Federation and its members can act jointly. It was also an important opportunity for FIAM, on behalf of the Associations and their members, to intervene and represent the interests and intentions of the multimedia industry in the decisionmaking process leading to the upcoming World Summit on the Information Society (Geneva, December 2003) where important decisions will be taken affecting national and regional information technology and multimedia policies, structures and investment programs.

 

We sought to address these objectives by looking at several areas of industry activity:

1) affordable multimedia tools and applications produced nowadays that allow greater use and enjoyment of interactive digital content;

2) national and international technology and know-how transfer mechanisms that help the development of local multimedia industries;

3) global, national and local initiatives allowing for the development of original, localized and diverse interactive digital content;

4) and finally, legal and regulatory frameworks that facilitate the multimedia industry's production and distribution of digital content nationally and internationally.

 

The Summit lent itself easily to this task and close to 200 participants discussed and argued a multitude of Industry issues. This report will focus on seven major themes for which we have asked the speakers to pay close attention to. You can find the texts of most conference speakers in the speakers conferences section.

Download the pdf version of this report
Download the pdf report prepared by ICV

 

During the opening ceremony



Mr. Roland Grunder, President of the Organizing Committee of the Summit and of Swissmedia, welcomed all participants to the Third World Summit on the Internet and Multimedia. He mentioned the difficulties in organizing the event in light of the weak economy that could not have been predicted back in 1999, when Swissmedia agreed to organize this event. The aim of the Summit is to help transfer the knowledge and technology to all.

Mr. Herve Fischer, President of the International Federation of Multimedia Associations - Federation Internationale des Associations de Multimedia (FIAM), also presented welcoming comments. He mentioned that 23 organizations from different countries were represented at the event. He stated that the future of the multimedia industry allows us to dream of globalization. FIAM was founded in 1997 and provides a platform for information exchange and networking. He noted that despite the modern surroundings enjoyed by the participants, it is important to remember that only six to seven percent of the world's population have access to an Internet connection. He spoke of the need to consolidate and restructure the digital world for the benefit of all.

He expressed his hope that awareness of the inequality between Northern and Southern countries would stimulate the development of more partnerships with larger organizations, such as UNESCO, in order to reduce the divide between countries. Mr. Fischer further announced that each Summit participant would receive a password to access the new online forum, which was being launched during this Summit.

Hervé Fischer and Roland Grunder during the opening ceremony.

 

     
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