Possible gaps in dealing with content policy The tension between national regulation and the cross-border nature of the Internet could trigger gaps also in dealing with content policy issues. 8.2 Cultural diversity Cultural diversity is promoted as one of the key principles of global cooperation. Status of governance mechanisms for cultural diversity The main instruments in this field are adopted by UNESCO: the Universal Declaration on Cultural Diversity (2001), the Charter of the Preservation of Digital Heritage (2003), and the Convention on the Protection and promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions. Cultural diversity is most directly related to the following Internet policy issues: web standards, net neutrality, child safety, freedom of expression, disability rights, women’s rights online, copyright, intermediaries, consumer protection, access, the digital divide, education, content policy, and multilingualism. Possible gaps in dealing with cultural diversity The mechanisms analysed indicate a possible policy gap in mainstreaming the Internet policy aspects in existing international mechanisms dealing with cultural diversity. In addition, there is a knowledge gap on the ways and means of protecting online artifacts as part of our global cultural heritage. 8.3 Multilingualism The multilingual Internet is a pre-condition for the promotion and further development of cultural diversity of the Internet. If the Internet is to be used by wider parts of society, content must be accessible in more languages. Status of governance mechanisms for multilingualism Multilingualism is a good example of public-private partnerships. UNESCO is the lead international organisation. One of the early initiatives related to the multilingual use of computers was undertaken by the Unicode Consortium – a non-profit institution that develops standards to facilitate the use of character sets for different languages. ICANN and the IETF took an important step in promoting Internationalised Domain Names (IDNs). IDNs facilitate the use of domain names written in Chinese, Arabic, and other non-Latin alphabets. Multilingualism is most directly related to the following Internet policy issues: web standards, the DNS, digital signatures, freedom of expression, copyright, trademark, 43