The United Nations Asian and Pacific Training Centre for Information and Communication Technology for Development (UN-APCICT), a regional institute of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), has collaborated with Viet Nam’s government to launch the Vietnamese version of the “Academy of ICT Essentials for Government Leaders” (Academy) in Hanoi today
15 April 2010 – The United Nations Asian and Pacific Training Centre for Information and Communication Technology for Development (UN-APCICT), a regional institute of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), has collaborated with Viet Nam’s government to launch the Vietnamese version of the “Academy of ICT Essentials for Government Leaders” (Academy) in Hanoi today.
According to the latest report by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), Viet Nam demonstrated strong performance in the most recent ICT Development Index. In 2005, Viet Nam implemented the Master Plan for ICT Development, which has resulted in the adoption of important policies related to ICT development and programmes designed to enhance the delivery of e-government services.
In accordance with ICT policy development, Viet Nam has taken steps to strengthen ICT human resources and institutional capacity in the country. As a part of these efforts, the Academy Programme will be implemented to equip policymakers and project managers with the skills and knowledge necessary to effectively leverage ICT solutions for the purpose of furthering Viet Nam’s development.
The First National Workshop of the Academy, co-organized by APCICT and the Information and Communications Public Management School (ICS) from the Ministry of Information and Communication (MIC) of Viet Nam, began today with a Press Conference at the Sofitel Plaza Hotel in Viet Nam. Presided over by Tran Duc Lai, Deputy Minister of Information and Communications, MIC, and Hyeun-Suk Rhee, Director of APCICT, the launch was attended by over 50 senior policymakers. The three-day workshop aims to enhance awareness and strengthen knowledge on the effective use of ICTs for sustainable socio-economic development among Chief Information Officers, senior government officials from various ministries and agencies, and representatives from academia.
“As Viet Nam continues its strong ICT development, policymakers and project managers responsible for delivering ICT and e-government services to the public will require a comprehensive set of competencies,” said Ms. Rhee. “It is APCICT’s pleasure to work with ICS in Viet Nam for the purpose of strengthening ICT human resource capacities that will in effect meet citizens’ needs and contribute to the country’s socio-economic development.”
The Academy, a flagship programme of APCICT, provides a comprehensive curriculum on the fundamentals of leveraging ICTs to achieve development goals. During the workshop, participants will be trained on Academy Module 7, ICTD Project Management in Theory and Practice. The material module will be delivered by resource persons and original module authors Maria Juanita Macapagal and John Macasio. A Training of Trainers session will also be conducted to increase the pool of local resource persons capable of delivering future Academy roll outs in Viet Nam.
Prior to the launch, APCICT introduced the Academy programme to the Public Private Partnership in ICT for Development workshop, attended by over 200 government officials and representatives from international organizations. The workshop took place at the Sofitel Plaza Hotel and was sponsored by APCICT, the World Bank, Microsoft, the Viet Nam Chamber of Commerce, and MIC.
Today’s press conference marks the third time in just over a month that the Academy has been officially launched within a Mekong River country. This past March, the Academy was successfully launched in Cambodia and Myanmar, with high-level government officials in both countries voicing enthusiastic support for the programme. Academy programmes have been delivered throughout Asia and the Pacific in Afghanistan, Cook Islands, Indonesia, Kiribati, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, the Philippines, Samoa, Tajikistan, Timor-Leste, Tonga and Tuvalu.
United Nations APCICT-ESCAP
The United Nations Asian and Pacific Training Centre for Information and Communication Technology for Development (UN-APCICT/ESCAP) is a subsidiary body of the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific, established with a membership identical to that of ESCAP and is located in Incheon, Republic of Korea. APCICT aims to strengthen the efforts of the member countries of ESCAP to use ICT in their socio-economic development through building human and institutional capacity for ICT.
For more information about the Academy, please visit http://www.unapcict.org/academy.
For further information, please contact:
Hyeun-Suk Rhee, Director
UN-APCICT/ESCAP
Incheon, Republic of Korea
Tel: +(82) 032 245 1700
Email: director@unapcict.org
