APCICT to gather regional officials and development stakeholders in the Republic of Korea for the Second Asia-Pacific Regional Forum on ICT Human Capacity Development: Where are we, Where are we going, and What will it take to fill the gap?
Asia-Pacific officials join APCICT to assess ICTD capacity building achievements and strengthen efforts to enhance regional ICTD capacity
On 24-28 October, over 300 ministers, senior-government officials and regional development stakeholders will participate in APCICT’s Second Asia-Pacific Regional Forum on ICT Human Capacity Development: Where are we, Where are we going, and What will it take to fill the gap? Taking place in the Republic of Korea (ROK), the event is a follow-up to the first Regional Forum organized by APCICT in March 2007. The Second Regional Forum is a unique event that will provide participants a multilateral platform to assess what the regional community has achieved in terms of information and communication technology for development (ICTD) over the past 5 years, what the current challenges and opportunities are, and what course of action will be necessary to overcome these challenges and achieve regional goals in the near future.
The opening day of the Regional Forum will be held in Incheon, ROK, and will include opening addresses from the Honourable Prime Minister of the Cook Islands, and the Chairman of the Korea Communications Committee (KCC). Three Plenary Sessions covering emerging ICT issues will engage a number of ministerial-level representatives and ICT experts from across the Asia-Pacific region.
- Plenary Session I will focus on cyber security and its linkage to national security as a result of the increasing incidence of information theft and cyber attacks across the globe.
- Plenary Session II will explore the importance of sensitizing the next generation of leaders to the potential of ICTs for development and the need to bridge the digital divide.
- Plenary Session III will emphasize the significance of knowledge sharing and global partnerships needed to enhance the reach and impact of ICTD capacity building initiatives.
Drawing from the subjects and themes discussed during the opening day plenary sessions, participants will delve deeper while participating in three Parallel Track workshops to be organized by APCICT in Cheonan, ROK. These Tracks include:
- Parallel Track I: Regional Workshop on Information Security and Privacy. The workshop is intended to stress the need for appropriate and effective information security and privacy by utilizing a recently updated version of a training Module 6 on Information Security and Privacy. Participants will also share experiences, and discuss and formulate plans for capacity building on Information Security. Taking this opportunity, APCICT will also introduce its new knowledge resource on information security and privacy, which is part of an upcoming publication titled the “How-To-Do Series” targeted at policymakers and ICT practitioners.
- Parallel Track II: Regional Workshop on Strengthening ICT for Development Education in Institutions of Higher Learning. As part of APCICT’s project with the same title, the workshop will serve to strengthen the pool of university educators who can deliver a course on ICT for development using a new Primer Series on ICTD for Youth developed by APCICT in partnership with ICT experts and regional education stakeholders. APCICT will also use the workshop to discuss with education stakeholders future strategies for roll-out of the module in undergraduate and graduate courses.
- Parallel Track III: 3rd Academy Partners Meeting. As part of its flagship programme called the “Academy of ICT Essentials for Government Leaders” (Academy), APCICT annually organizes the ‘Academy Partners Meeting’. Representatives from existing and prospective partner institutes will meet to share experiences on the Academy, and collectively assess feedback and emerging needs on the ground. Participants will also receive training on a new Monitoring & Evaluation (M&E) Toolkit for the Academy programme as well as be introduced to APCICT’s new knowledge resource on ICTD Institution Building as part of the “How-To-Do Series”.
The final day of the Regional Forum will provide an opportunity for participants of the Parallel Tracks to regroup, and present and discuss what they have learned during the week. Participants will have the opportunity to strategize how to replicate and disseminate their learning in their home countries. Together, participants will discuss the way forward for APCICT to better assist member States in their ICTD capacity building initiatives in the future.
