• Suggest Subject : MDGs e-centre to be ready by March 2011: Abu-Ghazaleh
  • Date : 28-Jun-2010
  • Text :


    LANI ROSE R DIZON

    DOHA A WEB-BASED matrix of ICT solutions designed to help countries accelerate the implementation of their Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) has been presented on Sunday by the Chairman of the United Nations Global Alliance for ICT and Development (UN-GAID) Talal Abu-Ghazaleh.

    The Millennium Development Goals e-centre (MDGs e-centre) project was endorsed by the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, who is also honourary chair for GAID.

    Speaking at a press conference, Abu-Ghazaleh said that the MDGs e-centre was projected to be fully implemented by March 2011.

    Currently, Abu-Ghazaleh is conducting the groundwork of presenting the project to different countries for additional inputs, orientation, and continuous development.

    He said, “The MDGs e-centre will provide an extensive array of resources to advance MDGs, and to speed up and strengthen countries’ development efforts through the use of ICT.

    It will also help governments in strategic integration of all policy matters related to the use of ICT in national development strategies”.

    The e-centre will have a matrix that would link individual MDGs and their targets/indicators and relevant actions with ICT-based tools and solutions.

    An executive programme is currently under preparation to educate leaders of the MDGs initiatives in developing countries in using the capabilities provided by the e-centre.

    Abu-Ghazaleh also said, “A prototype version of the e-centre was presented and demonstrated in the WSIS Forum in Geneva in May with very encouraging results.

    The sessions in Geneva resulted in the formation of an MDGs e-centre user group that consists of around a dozen countries including Algeria, Egypt, Macedonia, Indonesia, Mexico, Nigeria, four NGOs (including Red Cross and WHO) and several researchers.

    Another session in Riyadh organised by the Gulf Cooperation Council in June resulted in additional participants from Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, UAE, Kuwait, Oman, and Qatar.” He said that the MDGs ecentre would again be presented to a UN stakeholders’ high level meeting in September, wherein the centre’s programme would be presented to the global community.

    “We’re also hoping to have the programme endorsed by the World Summit on September 21,” he added.

    In an interview with Qatar Tribune, Abu- Ghazaleh urged Qatar to lead in developing the Arabic version of the MDGs e-centre.

    If the partnership between UNGAID and ictQatar pushed through, the Arabic MDGs ecentre is likely to be implemented by the end of next year, he said.

    http://www.qatar-tribune.com/data/20100628/content.asp?section=nation2_3