This week the United Nations pledged to broaden the reach of its ICT capacity building programmes and services through the Asian and Pacific Training Centre for Information and Communication Technology for Development (UN-APCICT).
2014-10-16
(via ESCAP News) -- As part of its ongoing efforts to address the digital divide in Asia and the Pacific, the United Nations this week pledged to broaden the reach of its ICT capacity building programmes and services through the Asian and Pacific Training Centre for Information and Communication Technology for Development (UN-APCICT).
The commitment was made by UN-APCICT’s Governing Council who met to identify key priorities of UN-APCICT’s work for 2015, during their 9th Session in Bangkok this week.
ICT is an important tool in addressing the challenges of the post-2015 agenda, but the digital divide in Asia and the Pacific continues to be one of the widest in the world. Capacity to use ICT in the region has simply not kept pace with the rise of ICT’s importance in development and the general economy.
Recognizing the importance of capacity building in using ICT to address current and emerging development challenges, UN-APCICT, a regional institute of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), is strengthening the efforts of ESCAP member States to leverage and integrate ICT in national development strategies and programmes.
UN-APCICT’s Governing Council meets every year to review the progress and accomplishments of the Centre, as well as its administrative and financial status. It includes representatives from the Government of the Republic of Korea, Bangladesh, Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Pakistan, Philippines, Sri Lanka and Thailand.
“This Governing Council session provided a valuable opportunity to revitalize our ICTD capacity building strategy for the region, especially given the new and emerging sustainable development priorities,” said UN-APCICT’s Director Dr. Hyeun-Suk Rhee during the session.
“It helped us better design our programmes and services in order to respond more effectively to the needs of ESCAP member States which will strengthen their efforts to take full advantage of ICT for promoting inclusive and sustainable socio-economic development,” she added.
Other key priorities of UN-APCICT’s work for 2015 outlined by the Governing Council included aligning APCICT’s ICTD capacity building programmes with the new priorities of sustainable development, promoting regional cooperation and knowledge-sharing, as well as diversifying delivery channels for ICTD capacity building to take advantage of new communication tools and platforms.