ESCAP's Information and Communications Technology and Disaster Risk Reduction Division (IDD) in cooperation with the Government of Jiangsu Province, China organized the “Regional Workshop for Knowledge-hubs in Asia-Pacific Region” in Nanjing , China from 8 to 10 September 2009. The Workshop was an activity of the ongoing United Nations Development Account Project entitled “Knowledge networks through ICT access points for disadvantaged communities”. The Workshop was to assess how knowledge-hubs/tele-centre networks in Asia-Pacific region (excluding SPECA member countries and other Central Asian countries): (i) benefit from information and knowledge sharing and networking; (ii) contribute to sustainable and inclusive development paradigm including for e-government, e-business, e-agriculture and other e-applications in relatively under-developed areas; (iii) share best practices on programmes at different levels and relevant policies and institutional experiences; and (iv) contribute to understanding of how resources can be mobilized and make them sustainable within the current development challenges. The meeting was attended by 31 representatives of the tele-centre networks/knowledge-hubs/members of the Asia-Pacific Tele-centre Network and some government officials responsible for the promotion of tele-centres/knowledge-hubs from around 14 Asian countries, and an official of the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat (PIFS) representing Pacific island developing countries and the representatives of Asia-Pacific Telecommunity (APT), International Development Research Centre (IDRC) and Asia-Pacific Telecentre Network (APTN) engaged in the promotion of knowledge-hubs/networks in the region.

Related Documents:

• Programme
• Agenda
• List of participants
• Meeting Report
• Presentation Materials:

  •  Background information of the project entitled “ Knowledge networks through ICT access points for disadvantaged communities ”, and objective and expected outcome of the current workshop by Mr. Ram Tiwaree, IT Officer, IDD, ESCAP

  •  Enabling policy environment for the promotion of community
  e-centres/tele-centres, and their transformation into knowledge-hubs/networks and issues of their sustainability - Country experiences/best practices:

  • Special Presentations by representatives of China : Ningxia [Paper] , Yunnan , and China Youth Development Foundation (CYDF)
  • Presentations by representatives of Cambodia and India
  • Presentations by representatives of Lao PDR [Paper]
    and Malaysia
  • Presentations by representatives of Mongolia , Myanmar, Nepal , Pakistan

  • Presentations by representatives of Philippines ,
    Republic of Korea , Sri Lanka , Thailand and Bhutan

  •  Community e-centres/tele-centres for sustainable development and poverty reduction through the services , such as, e-business, e-government, e-health, e-agriculture, disaster risk reduction (linkage with UN Millennium Development Goals, goals/targets of World Summit on the Information Society and Hyogo Framework for Action) – by Mr Guennadi Fedorov, ESCAP

  •  Application of space technology and GIS for community-based disaster management by Mr Thongchai, Advisor, GISTDA, Thailand

  •  Enabling policy environment for the promotion of community
  e-centres/tele-centres, and their transformation into knowledge-hubs/networks and issues of their sustainability – Pacific experience by representative of PIFS

  •  Bringing best practices of telecentre/knowledge networking in India [Paper] by Mr Shailendra Hajela, Chairman, Telecel Communications (P) Ltd., India

  •  APT's in experience in tele-centres' networking and sustainable development in Asia-Pacific region by representative of Asia Pacific Telecommunity (APT)

  •  IDRC's experience in tele-centres' networking and sustainable development in Asia-Pacific region by representative of International Development Research Centre (IDRC)

  •  Asia-Pacific Tele-Centre Network (APTN) – plans, activities, problems and constraints, and recommendations by representative of the Information and Communication Technology Agency of Sri Lanka (ICTA)