Resources
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Media Education and Citizenship: An analysis of the Quebec Preschool and Elementary Education Program Year of publication: 2018 Author: Normand Landry | Chantal Roussel Corporate author: Revue Lien social et Politiques In Canada, the limited level of knowledge on media education content that is conveyed by academic curricula hinders its critical evaluation. This article presents the ways in which media education is introduced in the Quebec Education Program (QEP) at the preschool and elementary level. More specifically, it highlights the connections at work between media education, childhood and citizenship in the program. Our method tracks and extracts a set of statements related to information and communications technologies (ICTs) and the media, then conducts their automated classification into four principal categories: speech, verbs used that reflect the actions undertaken by categories of actors (school, pupils, teachers), learning objectives and suggestions. A subsequent classification allows for the emergence of verbs and learning objectives associated to the notion of citizenship. The latter are then subject to speech analysis. Our analysis intends to demonstrate the message conveyed by the QEP on media and ICTs. It highlights the roles, tasks and responsibilities of its various actors in relation to the acquisition of knowledge and skill development. In addition, it features the actions taken by these actors to operationalize the academic goals of the program. Our conclusion indicates a low subject implementation of the statements associated to media education and citizenship, relevant content, although thematically limited, along with the conception of students as capable of a reflection and critical thinking process. 
Challenging Systematic Prejudices: An Investigation into Bias Against Women and Girls in Large Language Models Year of publication: 2024 Author: Daniel Van Niekerk | Maria Peréz Ortiz | John Shaw-Taylor | Davor Orlic | Ivana Drobnjak | Jackie Kay | Noah Siegel | Katherine Evans | Nyalleng Moorosi | Tina Eliassi-Rad | Leone Maria Tanczer | Wayne Holmes | Marc Peter Deisenroth | Isabel Straw | Maria Fasli | Rachel Adams | Nuria Oliver | Dunja Mladenić | Urvashi Aneja | Madeleine Janicky Corporate author: UNESCO | International Research Centre on Artificial Intelligence (IRCAI) This study explores biases in three significant large language models (LLMs): OpenAI’s GPT-2 and ChatGPT, along with Meta’s Llama 2, highlighting their role in both advanced decision-making systems and as user-facing conversational agents. Across multiple studies, the brief reveals how biases emerge in the text generated by LLMs, through gendered word associations, positive or negative regard for gendered subjects, or diversity in text generated by gender and culture. The research uncovers persistent social biases within these state-of-the-art language models, despite ongoing efforts to mitigate such issues. The findings underscore the critical need for continuous research and policy intervention to address the biases that exacerbate as these technologies are integrated across diverse societal and cultural landscapes. The emphasis on GPT-2 and Llama 2 being open-source foundational models is particularly noteworthy, as their widespread adoption underlines the urgent need for scalable, objective methods to assess and correct biases, ensuring fairness in AI systems globally. 
Global Toolkit on AI and the Rule of Law for the Judiciary Year of publication: 2023 Author: Miriam Stankovich | Ivana Feldfeber | Yasmín Quiroga | Marianela Ciolfi Felice | Vukosi Marivate Corporate author: UNESCO What is Artificial Intelligence (AI)? How does it work? And more importantly, how does it find its way into the judicial context? Technologies such as AI have been around for decades, but only recently have they begun to be used in a variety of justice and law enforcement settings. While AI has immense potential for the justice system, helping judges make better decisions, improving efficiency, increasing access, and helping to detect and prevent crime, there are also some important issues that justice stakeholders should consider as they prepare for a future in which AI is increasingly used in justice systems.In 2022, UNESCO launched two needs assessments. First, through UNESCO’s Artificial Intelligence Needs Assessment Survey in Africa, 90% of the 32 countries surveyed requested capacity building support for the Judiciary on AI. At the same time, a second global survey of judicial actors in 100 countries underlined the need for better understanding the use of AI in the administration of justice and its wider legal implications on societies.The “Global Toolkit on AI and the Rule of Law” for the Judiciary responds to these needs and provides judicial actors (judges, prosecutors, state attorneys, public lawyers, law universities and judicial training institutions) with the knowledge and tools necessary to understand the benefits and risks of AI in their work. The toolkit will assist judicial actors in mitigating the potential human rights risks of AI by providing guidance on the relevant international human rights laws, principles, rules and emerging jurisprudence that underpin the ethical use of AI. 
“I Don’t Have a Gender, Consciousness, or Emotions. I’m Just a Machine Learning Model” Year of publication: 2023 Corporate author: UNESCO | International Research Centre on Artificial Intelligence (IRCAI) An introduction to a forthcoming Gender bias in Artificial Intelligence report coming out on March 8, 2024. As we stand on the precipice of a technological revolution driven by Artificial Intelligence (AI), it is imperative to ensure that this future is shaped equitably, representing all genders. With this essay we are excited to announce our forthcoming in-depth report on Gender and Artificial Intelligence in a partnership between IRCAI and UNESCO, set for release on March 8, 2024. As we prepare for this milestone event, we extend an invitation to experts, scholars, and all interested stakeholders to join us in our research. 
The UNESCO Recommendation on the Ethics of AI: Shaping the Future of Our Societies Year of publication: 2023 Corporate author: German Commission for UNESCO | Netherlands National Commission for UNESCO | Slovenian National Commission for UNESCO The UNESCO commissions of Germany, the Netherlands and Slovenia with the support of IRCAI have jointly published a brochure on the UNESCO recommendation on the ethics of artificial intelligence. It summarizes the most important content in a compact manner and presents the central demands from the areas of health, culture, the environment, gender equality as well as education and research. The recommendation with its diverse topics is not only relevant for political experts, but it offers one for various areas of application of the ethical framework and thus serves as an orientation for dealing with AI in general. The brochure is available for the wider public in a number of formats including the original Adobe InDesign file that allows translations to be inserted and format pages, resulting in new versions of the brochure. Therefore, we strongly encourage all UNESCO Commissions from across all UNESCO regions Africa, Arab States, Asia and the Pacific, Europe and North America, Latin America and the Caribbean to use the text in the basic files and translate the content into their own languages, including using the graphic file to setup their own designs of the brochure. 
Missing Links in AI Governance Year of publication: 2023 Corporate author: UNESCO | Mila – Quebec Artificial Intelligence Institute Over the next decade, Artificial Intelligence (“AI”) will continue to significantly impact societies. While these scientific and technological advances take place at an extraordinary pace, it is necessary that we simultaneously stimulate a global and inclusive conversation around their development and governance. It is in this context that Mila and UNESCO join forces to steer a collective work to identify and understand missing links in AI governance. This publication is a compilation of 18 selected submissions from a global open call for proposals launched in 2021. The works featured cross disciplinary and geographical boundaries, and include the perspectives of academics, civil society representatives, and innovators to help shift the conversation on AI from what we do know and foresee to what we do not, the missing links. The topics covered are wide ranging, including AI and Indigenous rights, Deepfakes, Third-Party Audits of AI Systems, AI alignment with SDGs, and the centralization of decision-making power AI allows. Policymakers and civil society members will benefit from the insightful perspectives brought forward to face the immense task they are presented with – which is to ensure the development of AI in a human-centred, responsible and ethical way, in accordance with human rights. 
Pathways for Peace with Nature: Achieving Global Biodiversity Goals in UNESCO Designated Sites; Latin America and the Caribbean Year of publication: 2024 Corporate author: UNESCO UNESCO designated sites in Latin America and the Caribbean harbour over 60% of the region’s mapped species richness, i.e. over 14,000 species of mammals, reptiles, amphibians, birds, and fishes. They are also important for strengthening culture and nature linkages. However, biodiversity in these sites is threatened by human pressures and climate change and countries should take urgent action to halt and reverse biodiversity loss.This publication provides a regional overview of the status and trends of species in UNESCO designated sites, as well as key information to facilitate dialogue among all stakeholders. Additionally, it promotes the development of effective actions aimed at achieving global biodiversity goals. 
Global Priority Africa Flagships 2023: An Update from UNESCO Regional Office for Southern Africa Year of publication: 2024 Corporate author: UNESCO Harare Two years into the implementation of the Operational Strategy for Priority Africa 2022-2029 (OSPA), a new biennium has commenced through the Programme and Budget for 2024-2025. With a goal of achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations’ Agenda 2030 and the African Union’s Agenda 2063 “The Africa We Want”, the OSPA remains pivotal in accelerating the achievement of SDGs amidst a growing threat of regression and stagnation on some of the SDG targets. The relentless climatic changes have resulted in droughts and cyclones whose incessant rains have caused food insecurity, waterborne diseases and loss of biodiversity. Geopolitical crisis and the remnants of the impacts of COVID-19 continue to waylay the aspirations of the continent. Gender inequality, youth unemployment, education and HIV and AIDS continue to be areas for concern. Despite this plethora of challenges, Member States remain committed to Agenda 2030 and 2063 and the strong partnership existing with UNESCO and the rest of the UN system. While the OSPA is driven to address challenges in the areas of demography and sustainable development, education and knowledge, climate change, cultural renaissance, and peace and democracy these all have far-reaching consequences beyond their focus hence addressing these contributes widely to other thematic areas. Priority Africa reinforces UNESCO’s partnerships with African governing bodies such as the African Union (AU), Regional Economic Communities (RECs), Member States as well as other UN agencies. Being also aligned with the Southern African Development Community (SADC) and UNESCO’s Joint Programme of Action (JPA) 2022-2025, the OSPA continues to demonstrate its relevance to the region. 
Global Education Monitoring Report 2024, Pacific: Technology in Education; A Tool on Whose Terms? Year of publication: 2024 Corporate author: UNESCO | Global Education Monitoring Report Team | Commonwealth of Learning Information transmission and connectivity is crucial in the Pacific, a region characterized by high geographic dispersion. While the application of ICT in education has significant potentials, it is hindered by the region's limited and costly infrastructure. This edition accompanies the 2023 Global Education Monitoring Report, which acknowledges technology as a useful tool but invites the education community to question on whose terms it is deployed. The report considered four key policy areas of the Pacific Regional Education Framework (PacREF) (2018–2030): In terms of quality and relevance, mobile technology has offered an affordable and flexible approach to learning, and social media have improved communication between institutions, parents and learners. Moodle is the most widely used digital platform in the region. Textbooks are being digitalised and digital resources made available. Yet content is not always developed or adapted to local languages and cultural contexts. Open and distance learning has historically expanded learning pathways in the Pacific, specially in higher education and as a response to natural hazards. The University of South Pacific is a leading example of open and distance learning connecting campus across 12 countries. With the aim to enhance student outcomes and well-being, efforts have been made to incorporate digital skills into curricula and initiatives have increased outside formal education. Yet regulations do not adequately address threats from the use of technology to privacy, safety and well-being. With a focus on the teaching profession, countries leverage technology to provide training opportunities and transform the teaching profession. However, ICT training varies greatly across the region and limited digital infrastructure hinders technology integration into classrooms and teacher training. Three conditions need to be met for technology's potential to be fulfilled: equitable access to technology, appropriate governance and regulation, and sufficient teacher capacity. Supporting this publication is seven background thematic studies that provide a comprehensive overview of education technology issues; Commonwealth of Learning’s short case studies on some of its projects; a survey administered to key informed respondents from the region; and a series of country profiles on PEER, a policy dialogue resource describing policies and regulations related to technology in the region’s education systems. 
The Butterfly Effect on Social Networks Year of publication: 2021 Corporate author: Canada Learning Code This video shows the dangers of the internet and social networks through the story of 12-year-old Amira in the form of a comic strip.