This month APCICT will launch the “Academy of ICT Essentials for Government Leaders” in Viet Nam, and continue to facilitate South-South cooperation between Timor-Leste and Indonesia, through the second National Workshop in Timor-Leste. April will also see APCICT publishing a variety of new knowledge products: the ICTD Case Study Series; the Briefing Notes Series; and a collection of case studies form the Commonwealth of Independent States and Russian-speaking countries.
Building ICT Capacity in Timor-Leste Continues with 2nd National Roll-Out
Following-up on the success of the inaugural “Academy of ICT Essentials for Government Leaders” (Academy) launch in July 2009, APCICT and its partners will organize the 2nd National Workshop in Timor-Leste this month. In coordination with the Directorate National for Information and Communication Technology (DNICT), Ministry of Infrastructure of Timor-Leste, and the University of Indonesia, APCICT will facilitate this South-South cooperation with a four-day workshop that will roll-out Academy Module 3, e-Government Applications, and Module 4, ICT Trends for Government. Module 1 with its focus on linkages between ICT applications and development, Module 2 with its focus of ICT for development policymaking and governances, were delivered during the inaugural launch in 2009.
Modules 3 and 4 of the Academy programme will be delivered by resource persons from the University of Indonesia. Sixty participants from various ministries and organizations are expected to attend the workshop, which run 6 to 9 April in Dili, Timor-Leste. The workshop is designed to equip government officials with the necessary knowledge and skills to effectively use ICTs for the purpose of furthering Timor-Leste’s socio-economic development.
Bridging the Digital Divide in Viet Nam through Launch of ICT Capacity Building Program
This month, Viet Nam’s Ministry of Information and Communication (MIC), and the United Nation’s Asian and Pacific Training Centre for Information and Communication Technology for Development (UN-APCICT/ESCAP) will be partnering to launch the Vietnamese version of the “Academy of ICT Essentials for Government Leaders” (Academy) in Hanoi, Viet Nam. The opening ceremony of the two-day event will take place on 15 April, 2010.
Viet Nam has been actively working to fully leverage ICT solutions for the purpose of furthering socio-economic development. MIC’s establishment of the Training Information and Communication Managers College (TICMC) to strengthen human resources capacity is an indication of the country’s commitment to ICT for development (ICT4D). TICMC will use the Academy, APCICT’s flagship programme, as the centre piece of its training programme to strengthen ICT human resources capacity in government institutions, and to enhance awareness of ICT for development at senior levels of government.
Immediately following the opening ceremony, Academy Module 7 – ICT Project Management in Theory and Practice – will be delivered through a Training of Trainers workshop by original module authors Maria Juanita Macapagal and John Macasio. The aim of the workshop is to increase the pool of Viet Nam’s resource persons to sustain and further future Academy roll outs in the country.
APCICT Publications to Raise Awareness of ICT4D
Throughout the month, APCICT will be publishing a number of new case study series designed to increase ICT awareness, and to provide unique insight into the ongoing work of ICT for development (ICT4D) at the project, programme and policy level. This important contribution to the body of knowledge on ICT4D will be delivered through two new series and a collection of case studies from the Commonwealth of Independent States.
The ICTD Case Study Series is designed to examine the experiences and case studies from those in the field of ICT for development. The analysis of these case studies will be presented as a compilation of best practices for the purpose of providing greater information to various ICT for development stakeholders. Two issues of the Case Study Series will be published in April: ICTD Case Study 1 - ICT Human Capacity Building for Development; and ICTD Case Study 2 - ICT for Disaster Risk Reduction.
To enhance understanding of ICT for development issues at the senior government level, APCICT will publish eight issues of the Briefing Notes Series. The Briefing Notes are designed to keep policymakers informed of ICT related issues through concise, yet detailed policy briefs. The first eight Briefing Notes are based on the “Academy of ICT Essentials for Government Leaders” (Academy) curriculum, with subsequent publications concerning other ICT related policy issues. The Briefing Notes Series will be published in an easy-to-read, ‘newspaper’ style format that will provide high-level policymakers with the necessary information to effectively leverage ICT opportunities.
The collection of case studies form the Commonwealth of Independent States Russian-speaking countries is designed to provide localized insight into ICT for development experiences from CIS and Russian-speaking countries. These case studies on ICT4D aim to share knowledge, practical experiences and best practices gained from ICT4D projects in the sub-region. By making these experiences more accessible, the collection will be a useful reference for ICT4D policymakers and project managers in the sub-region. This exercise will also be an important aspect of APCICT’s commitment to engage partners throughout ESCAP members-states and facilitate exchange and dissemination of their experiences and insights throughout Asia and the Pacific region and ICT4D community.
