1 UN PLAZA, NY, NY USA – September 15 2005 – In a key step to mark the beginning of a new era in the field of education, ICT and skills development in the Developing Countries, the UN ICT Task force and the International Commission on Workforce Development signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) here today.
Under the MoU, the ICWFD, a civil society organization committed to workforce and human resource development, together with the United Nations Information and Communications Technologies Task Force whose Secretariat is located at 1 UN Plaza, 14th Floor, New York, NY 10017, and is mandated to support and promote ICT for development activities of Member States and other stakeholders with the aim of helping developing countries to bridge the digital divide and promote digital opportunities, will work together in promoting ICT education via e-learning to the underprivileged masses of the 133 G77 developing countries of the world.
As per the MoU terms, each party agrees to cooperate in its contribution to the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals by raising awareness on issues related to ICT and development as well as creating positive synergies and partnerships within this field aiming at achieving reduced poverty in developing countries.
"ICWFD is deeply committed to broadening access to social and educational opportunities through technology," said Mr. Sarbuland Khan, Director for the Division for ECOSOC Support and Coordination of the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs as well as the Executive Coordinator of the UN ICT Taskforce. "By working with ICWFD we are expanding our efforts to ensure that these developing countries can finally be ‘full partners’ in the new digital economy."
"A technological revolution is transforming the world in a profound way. If managed and directed properly, information and communication technologies (ICT) have the potential to improve all aspects of our social, economic and cultural life. ICTs can serve as an engine for development in the 21st century, yet the majority of the world’s population has yet to benefit from the new technology," said Dr. Asad U. Shah, Chairman and CEO of ICWFD. "This MoU will be a unique opportunity for all key players to develop a shared vision of ways to bridge the digital divide and create a truly global information society."
"The goal of this partnership is to support the impressive growth in the G77 countries E-learning sector, by improving both, the quantity and quality of its IT professionals. The market in the Developing countries is clearly huge, however, people are disillusioned by the insufficiency of existing IT courses in finding them suitable jobs, or in enabling them to continue higher studies abroad.” said Dr. Sergei Kambalov, Deputy Executive Coordinator of the Secretariat of the United Nations Information and Communication Technologies Task Force. "Thanks to organizations with a strong sense of responsibility like ICWFD, and our supporters, the UN ICT Task Force will now be able to provide the necessary training and education that the children and the residents of an underdeveloped community may not be getting otherwise”.
On Behalf of the Board of Directors,
The International Commission on Workforce Development
Dr. Asad U. Shah
Chairman & CEO
About The UN ICT Task Force
The United Nations Information and Communications Technologies Task Force, whose Secretariat is located at 1 UN Plaza, 14th Floor, New York, NY 10017, was established by Secretary-General Kofi Annan in 2001. The United Nations ICT Task Force brings together representatives of governments, the private sector, civil society and international organizations in a global effort to harness the immense potential of ICT for promoting development.
The UN ICT Task Force is intended to lend a truly global dimension to the multitude of efforts to bridge the global digital divide, foster digital opportunity and thus firmly put ICT at the service of development for all. The Task Force has forged a strategic partnership between the United Nations system, private industry, financing trusts and foundations, donors, programme countries and other relevant stakeholders.
For more information about the UN ICT Task Force, visit http://www.unicttaskforce.org
About the Commission
The International Commission on Workforce Development is a US based 501C3 non-profit organization reflecting the views and interests of both national governments and other stakeholders from the various sectors of society. The ICWFD is playing a strategic role in bringing together and scaling up efforts by existing institutions aimed at fostering and promoting the design of national and regional ICT strategies including the regulatory framework while, at the same time, raising the awareness among key decision makers and donors on their strategic importance for addressing critical development and poverty eradication goals in innovative and effective ways. The ICWFD also recommends policies, strategies and solutions that will enable the workforce of G77 Developing Countries (DC’s) to compete in the current and future global economy. The ICWFD is headquartered at 511 Bluefield Drive, San Jose, California 95136, USA, with regional secretariats in various countries.
For further information about the ICWFD, please visit: http://www.icwfd.org |
