News 11 of 50

Source: http://www.bernama.com/bernama/v3/news.php?id=199171

By Mohd Nasir Yusoff

JAKARTA, May 23 (Bernama) -- The Asean Foundation, in an effort to help narrow the digital divide within and among the 10 Asean countries, is giving priority to promoting access to information and communication technology (ICT) resources to differently advantaged groups in the region.

The foundation's executive director, Apichai Sunchindah, said a number of ICT-related projects in the region have been funded by the foundation with support from various donors, particularly the International Development Research Centre of Canada (IDRC).

One such project is the ICT for Development Collaboratory (ICT4D), an initiative offering various ICT services to the people in the region, he said at the opening of an international symposium on ICT in Social Development, here Tuesday.

The event, attended by ICT experts from various countries including Australia, Britain, Bhutan, Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Mongolia, Pakistan, Thailand, the Philippines and Vietnam is intended to mark the culmination of the three-year phase of the collaboratory service.

The meeting will also review projects undertaken and look into the development of future initiatives.

The objectives of the ongoing ICT4D project are incubating, piloting and presenting ICT services, technologies and applications for the benefit of the development sector, providing face-to-face and distance training on ICTs and disseminating information on new and appropriate ICTs applicable towards solving socio-economic problems.

Other future efforts would include providing training to strengthen ICT human resources within Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam (CLMV) and training on ICT on E-Commerce.

The Asean Foundation was established by the Asean Heads of Governments in 1997 to help bring about shared prosperity for the people in the region.

It has funded some 100 projects in various areas to a tune of US$15 million the last seven years.

-- BERNAMA

2006-05-23

News 11 of 50