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

Date: 9 March 2010
Press Release No: G/07/2010

UN Training Programme Helps Cambodia Bridge Digital Divide

Bangkok (UN ESCAP Information Services) -- The United Nations and Cambodia today launched a training course aimed at boosting the country’s ability to use information and communication technology (ICT) for its development programmes.
According to the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), Cambodia is in the early stages of ICT development, ranking at 120 out of 159 countries. The country has been actively working to increase nationwide access to ICTs. Its e-government initiative, the “Provincial Administration Information System,” has recently been deployed, connecting 10 out of 24 provinces and providing applications that will enhance public service delivery, such as an online document exchange system and electronic tools for managing and tracking details on residents, properties and vehicles.

The “Academy of ICT Essentials for Government Leaders” is the flagship programme of the Asian and Pacific Training Centre for Information and Communication Technology for Development, a regional institute of the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (APCICT-ESCAP).
In addition to ICT infrastructure development, Cambodia will incorporate the APCICT’s Academy Programme to equip policymakers and project managers with the skills and knowledge necessary to use ICTs effectively for furthering Cambodia’s development.

The First National Workshop of the Academy, co-organized by APCICT and the National Information and Communication Technology Development Authority (NiDA) of Cambodia, began today at the Intercontinental Hotel in Phnom Penh. Presided over by Leewood Phu, Secretary General of NiDA, and Hyeun-Suk Rhee, Director of APCICT, the launch was attended by 50 senior policymakers. The four-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, representatives of international development agencies, and trainers who are committed to building national ICT capacity through the Academy Programme.
“As e-government systems mature with the expanded services, and as people’s expectations of the quality and efficiency of public service delivery grow, a new set of competencies is required for policymakers and project managers of e-government initiatives,” said Ms. Rhee. “It is APCICT’s goal to strengthen capacities for utilizing effective and innovative ICT solutions that meet citizens’ needs and contribute to socioeconomic 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 the first three modules of the Academy: The Linkage between ICT Applications and Meaningful Development; ICT for Development Policy, Process and Governance; and e-Government Applications.

Academy programmes have been delivered throughout Asia and the Pacific in Afghanistan, Cook Islands, Indonesia, Kiribati, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, the Philippines, Republic of Korea, Samoa, Tajikistan, Timor-Leste, Tonga and Tuvalu.

United Nations APCICT/ESCAP
http://www.unapcict.org

The United Nations Asian and Pacific Training Centre for Information and Communication Technology for Development (APCICT) is a subsidiary body of the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), 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 or contact:
Hyeun-Suk Rhee, Director
UN-APCICT
Incheon, Republic of Korea
Tel: +(82) 032 245 1700
Email: director@unapcict.org