A/HRC/26/19 scientific exploration. She noted that poor dissemination practices often resulted in farreaching policy decisions being made without the benefit of available information. Ms. Kuchma provided an overview of the mandate of her organization, whose open access programme worked towards promoting free, immediate online access to the results of research, coupled with the right to use those results in new and innovative ways. Observing that science was increasingly interdisciplinary and that novel communication technologies permitted modes of interaction that exploited the collective intelligence of the scientific community, Ms. Kuchma focused her presentation on good practices in that area, drawing on the experience of her organization. Examples of good practices included building capacity for the establishment of open access journals and repositories, training, supporting knowledge sharing, providing expertise and empowering librarians, scholars, educators and students to be open access advocates. National and international advocacy for the adoption of open access policies and mandates was also beneficial. 35. Mr. Pfister underscored the importance of improving global access to the benefits of scientific progress by improving access to information. In that connection, he noted that the enjoyment of access to the Internet in different regions of the world had been highly variable, with populations in Africa, South America and Asia enjoying the least access. He referred to the recommendation of the International Council for Science that States should support initiatives to promote Internet connectivity at high bandwidth and affordable prices. In addition, access to hardware, software and applications should be provided, and data and information should be open, transparent and accessible. Mr. Pfister highlighted the need to promote information literacy at an early age by facilitating the use of electronic means for the sharing of data and information. Restrictions on access to information should only be permitted where the potential for harm exceeded the anticipated benefits to society. 36. While acknowledging that international human rights law did not recognize a general right to access the Internet, Mr. Haugen submitted that, based on the provisions of articles 4, 9, 21 and 30 of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, that right did exist for persons with disabilities. He indicated that the digital divide related to unequal access to ICTs as well as to unequal ability to make effective use of such technologies, with the latter being particularly significant for persons with disabilities. Mr. Haugen commended the progress, albeit slow, being made in the area of standardsetting. He provided, as recent examples, the Marrakesh Treaty to Facilitate Access to Published Works for Persons Who Are Blind, Visually Impaired, or Otherwise Print Disabled (July 2013) and ongoing negotiations within WIPO on an appropriate international legal instrument on limitations and exceptions for educational, teaching and research institutions and persons with other disabilities, scheduled for adoption in 2015. 37. During the discussion, the Special Rapporteur in the field of cultural rights highlighted the fact that language was a concern when considering access to information, as the vast majority of material available on the Internet was in English, which had the effect of excluding many people. In response, one participant acknowledged that language and the predominance of information emanating from developed countries presented challenges that, moreover, reflected existing limitations to access in developing countries. Another participant proposed that States should promote the teaching of widely spoken languages in order to facilitate improved access to information and educational materials. A number of participants were of the view that, generally, scientific research should be in English as the most widely spoken language in the international peer group of researchers. In relation to open access journals, while there was recognition that many journals provided open access after a grace period, technical information required translation in order for a broader audience to understand it and rigorous peer review of open access material remained necessary. Peer review of open access articles was often conducted on a volunteer basis and, although there were efforts to provide funding for peer review, those efforts were 11