24 November 2010: The UN Asian and Pacific Training Centre for Information and Communication Technology for Development (UN-APCICT), a regional institution of the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), and the Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC) have announced a partnership to increase the capacity and use of information and communication technology for development (ICTD) in Pacific countries.

Launched at the Second Session of the ESCAP Committee on Information and Communication Technology (ICT), which convened from 24-26 November in Incheon, Republic of Korea, the partnership is intended to facilitate the SPC’s implementation of the Framework for Action on ICT for Development in the Pacific. Building the ICT human capacity is one of the key focus areas of the Framework, as lack of ICT human capacity remains one of the key challenges in the Pacific.

The partnership will include the continued roll-out of APCICT’s flagship initiative, the Academy of ICT Essentials for Government Leaders Programme (the Academy). The Academy is a comprehensive ICTD curriculum including eight core training modules, intended to provide senior government leaders with the skills and knowledge to fully embrace ICT opportunities for socio-economic development. [e-Pacific Island Countries Press release]