UN Appoints Abu-Ghazaleh as the First Arab to Chair the UN Global Alliance for ICT and Development
03-Mar-2010
UN Appoints Abu-Ghazaleh as the First Arab to Chair the UN Global Alliance for ICT and Development
Abu-Ghazaleh received a letter from the Under-Secretary General of the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA) HE Sha Zukang inviting him to lead the Alliance, making him the first Arab to head the global Information Society body
NEW YORK --- March 2, 2010 --- HE Dr. Talal Abu- Ghazaleh, chairman and CEO of Talal Abu-Ghazaleh Organization (TAG-Org), has been appointed as the Chairman of the Global Alliance for ICT and Development of the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA-GAID) to succeed Craig Baret, Intel CEO.
HE Dr. Abu-Ghazaleh, who became the first Arab to chair the global Information Society body, received a letter from the Under-Secretary General of the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA) HE Sha Zukang inviting him to lead the Alliance, composed of representatives from public, private and civil society sectors as well as international organizations.
“You have played an outstanding leadership role in advancing the objectives of the World Summit on Information Society and in helping to promote and transforming vision for the universal and inclusive information society,” noted HE Zukang.
In his letter, HE Zukang expressed his appreciation for HE Dr. Abu-Ghazaleh’s strong commitment and important contribution as UNDESA-GAID co-chair over the past three years.
"I am really honored to be the first Arab to lead this international body which I really believe is an accomplishment for all Arabs and I feel proud to assist in developing ICT in the Arab communities and worldwide," HE Dr. Abu-Ghazaleh stated.
GAID was established by the UN Secretary General in March 2006, to meet the need for an inclusive, multi-stakeholder global forum and platform for policy dialogue and partnership building, to promote the use of ICT for the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), and to enable and catalyze multi-stakeholder partnerships for action under the GAID umbrella.
Since its inaugural meeting in Kuala Lumpur on 19-20 June 2006, the Alliance has achieved good progress. However, a lot remains to be done particularly to address the slow pace progress towards the achievement of Millennium Development Goals in the least developed countries.
The ongoing world economic and financial crisis has added to the difficulties facing the least developed countries. During this changing time, UNDESA-GAID will focus on key message of how ICTs and innovation can be harnessed to meet key global challenges such as poverty eradication, the financial crisis, climate change, governance and mainstreaming gender within the broader United Nations Development Agenda.