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

Date: 6 February 2012
Press Release No: G/02/2012

ESCAP trains government officials, educators and youth on the use of ICT for development in Central Asia

Bangkok (UN ESCAP Strategic Communications and Advocacy Section) – Over 150 government officials and academics in Azerbaijan are taking part this week in back-to-back United Nations organized training programmes to develop national capacities to use information and communications technology for development (ICTD).

The Asian and Pacific Training Centre for Information and Communication Technology for Development (APCICT), a regional institute of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), is partnering with national development stakeholders in Azerbaijan to launch ICTD capacity development initiatives targeting government officials and youth.

The first capacity building workshop on 6 and 7 February in Baku, organized by the Civil Service Commission under the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan with the support of APCICT, covers the APCICT flagship capacity building programme “Academy of ICT Essentials for Government Leaders”.

A senior-level briefing session at the outset of the meeting, engaging over 150 policymakers introduced the Academy programme, which has been rolled-out in 22 countries in the Asia-Pacific region since 2008. A number of high-level officials attended and addressed the opening of the session, including Mr. Elmir Valizada, Deputy Minister, Ministry of Communication and Informational Technologies, Mr. Gulu Novruzov, Deputy Minister, Ministry of Education, and Mr. Bahram Khalilov, Chairman of the Civil Service Commission under the President of Azerbaijan.

Participants are also taking part in a specially designed tutoring session, simultaneously interpreted from English to Azerbaijani, to help them serve as resource persons delivering Academy training content in Azerbaijan as well as translators adapting the Academy modules into the Azerbaijani language.

“Azerbaijan’s enthusiasm to organize unique capacity building experiences that reach a wide range of stakeholders demonstrates the country’s commitment to using ICT for sustainable and inclusive development,” said Dr. Hyeun Suk Rhee, Director of UN-APCICT/ESCAP, in her welcoming speech.

On 8-10 February, APCICT will organize a Training of Trainers Workshop in partnership with Azerbaijan’s Qafqaz University. Over 30 professors and educators from Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan will attend the workshop which also launches the APCICT capacity building programme “Primer Series on ICTD for Youth” (Primer Series). The workshop will provide training on Primer 1: “An Introduction to ICT for Development” designed to give students an introductory overview on the use of ICTs to meet socio-economic development goals.

“Qafqaz University is pleased to be partnering the United Nations in this very important initiative”, said Dr. Ahmet Sanic, Rector of the University. “In an increasingly digital and connected world, nurturing and developing the ICT capacity of the next generation of leaders is essential.”

The Primer Series is part of the APCICT flagship capacity building initiative engaging youth, “Turning Today’s Youth into Tomorrow’s Leader Programme”. The Primer Series aims to enhance university curricula that lack adequate content on ICT for development and provides a tool to help educators deliver ICTD capacity building education in institutions of higher learning.

Primer 1 will also be launched on the APCICT Virtual Academy, the Centre’s online, distance e-learning platform during the opening session of the training workshop. The online version of the Primer is designed to reach youth anytime and anywhere.

About ESCAP
From its HQ in Bangkok, ESCAP provides a forum for its member States that promotes regional cooperation and collective action, assisting countries in building and sustaining shared economic growth and social equity.

ESCAP provides different forms of assistance to member States:

- ESCAP promotes rigorous analysis and peer learning through our core work areas: macroeconomic policy and development, trade and investment, social development, transport, statistics, environment and development, information communications technology and disaster risk reduction;
- ESCAP translates these findings into policy dialogues and recommendations, and;
- ESCAP provides good development practices, knowledge sharing and technical assistance to member States in the implementation of these recommendations.

For further information, please contact:

Hyeun-Suk Rhee, Ph.D.
Director, APCICT
Incheon, Republic of Korea
T: + (82) 032 245 1700
E: director@unapcict.org