..Press Release................................ UNESCAP News Services

Date 5 October 2007
Press Release No. N/51/2007

UN Training Promotes e-Government in Asia-Pacific

21 Countries Participate in Incheon Workshop 8 -12 October

Bangkok (United Nations Information Services) – Rapid development of information and communication technology (ICT) has enabled governments in Asia and the Pacific to deliver public services more efficiently in the past decade. However, a lack of skilled human resources in planning, design, implementation and management has proven to be a serious impediment to the progress of e-Government services.

The United Nations Asian and Pacific Training Centre for Information and Communication Technology for Development (UN-APCICT), in collaboration with the United Nations University – International Institute for Software Technology (UNU-IIST), will organize their 2nd Regional Training Workshop from 8 to 12 October in Incheon, Republic of Korea.

Entitled Planning, Designing, Implementing, and Managing e-Government: Key Issues, Case Studies, and Lessons Learned, the week-long workshop will attract about 40 high-level officials from national ICT ministries and planning agencies in 21 countries. Participants will share their experiences and learn good practices on developing e-Government strategies. They will also strengthen their understanding of the technologies currently available for building e-Government applications and e-Services.

The Director of UN-APCICT, Ms. Hyeun-Suk Rhee, notes that “this is the second regional workshop we are organizing this year, following the success of the first one at which the participants noted the importance to learn from regional best practices.”

“As e-Government is a capital intensive investment, the development of appropriate strategies is critical”, added Ms. Rhee. “We hope that the training workshop will enable the participants to discuss and evaluate their strategies with peers and to strengthen their individual e-Government implementation.”

The workshop consists of modules that address the issues of e-Government strategic planning and design; needs and capacity assessments; implementation; and management. Discussions will also focus on realistic appraisals of public-private partnerships opportunities and international and regional cooperation.

The event will witness the launch of the "APCICT Network on Training Institutes for Government Leaders” which will facilitate dissemination of forthcoming APCICT flagship curriculum, “Academy of ICT Essentials for Government Leaders”, and best practices in ICT human resource capacity-building.

A field trip will also be organized for the participants to attend the e-Biz Expo 2007 held in Seoul by the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Energy, Republic of Korea. It will provide an opportunity for the participants to see e-Government applications in action and allow for “hands-on” learning to better visualize the possibilities of using ICT to provide better services to their citizens.

The workshop is supported by Incheon Metropolitan City. The Mayor, Mr. Ahn Sang-soo, will host a dinner for all participants.

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UN-APCICT: the Asian and Pacific Training Centre for Information and Communication Technology (APCICT) is a subsidiary body of the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP). It is located in Incheon, Republic of Korea.

Ms. Noeleen Heyzer, the new Executive Secretary of UNESCAP, visited UN-APCICT on 4 October 2007. She was attending a Ministerial Conference on Public-Private Partnerships for Infrastructure Development in Seoul.

For a full list of APCICT activities, please refer to: http://www.unapcict.org

More information on the 2nd e-Government Regional Training Workshop is available at: http://www.unapcict.org/board/board_event_view.asp?num=2007092203

For further information, please contact:
Ms. Hyeun-Suk Rhee, Director
APCICT
Incheon, Republic of Korea
Tel: +(82) 032 245 1700
"Hyeun-Suk Rhee" <sukrhee@gmail.com>
or "James George Chacko" <jamesgc@unapcict.org>

Or

Ms. Thawadi Pachariyangkun
UN Information Services¸ UNESCAP, Bangkok
Tel: +(66-2) 288 1861
Fax: +(66-2) 288 1502
unisbkk.unescap@un.org