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

Date: 29 February 2012
Press Release No. G/10/2012

ESCAP partners with Indonesia to train youth in use of ICT for national development

Depok, Indonesia (ESCAP Strategic Communications and Advocacy Section) – Working to bridge the digital divide, the United Nations has teamed with educators from Indonesian universities to train youth in the country on the use of information and communications technology (ICT) for national development.

Over 50 professors and trainers from the University of Indonesia, Institut Teknologi Bandung, Institut Teknologi Sepuluh November Surabaya, Universitas Diponegoro, Institut Pertanian Bogor, Universitas Pancasila as well as the National University of Timor-Leste attended a three-day workshop here this week organized by 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).

The 27-29 February workshop at the University of Indonesia’s Depok Campus trained university educators on ICT for development (ICTD) curricula for youth developed by APCICT under its flagship “Turning Today’s Youth into Tomorrow’s Leader Programme”.

“The University of Indonesia is very pleased to be facilitating educators from throughout Indonesia in their dedicated efforts to provide our youth with the appropriate ICT tools to help meet national development goals,” said Mr. Muhammad Anis, Vice Rector of UoI.

Participants from four other universities from across Indonesia also joined the workshop through video conferencing. Workshop participants will go forward to deliver ICTD education to students in their own institutions, as well as train additional trainers.

The University of Indonesia is translating the APCICT training programme into Bahasa Indonesia and customize it to local contexts. In September, the University plans to distribute the localized version of the training programme to over 4,500 first-year students.

For further information, please contact:

Ms. Francyne Harrigan
Chief, Strategic Communications and Advocacy Section, ESCAP
T: (66) 2 288 1864, M: (66) 81 835 8677, E: harriganf@un.org

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.