News

 

 

Participants welcomed the establishment of the United Nations Global Alliance for ICT and Development (UN-GAID) MDG eCenter and expressed strong support for this unique initiative led by the Chairman of UN-GAID Mr. Talal Abu-Ghazaleh

RIYADH--------June 20, 2010--------The regional seminar entitled “Millennium Development Goals Electronic Center (MDG e-Center)" hosted by the Secretariat General of the Gulf Cooperation Council in Riyadh June 14th - 15th 2010 successfully concluded with a call for developing guidelines for country-specific applications.

Based on the discussions and suggestions during the course of the event, the following key conclusions and recommendations were adopted by consensus:

Participants welcomed the establishment of the United Nations Global Alliance for ICT and Development (UN-GAID) MDG e-Center and expressed strong support for this unique initiative led by the Chairman of UN-GAID Mr. Talal Abu-Ghazaleh under the honorary chairmanship of the United Nations Secretary-General Mr. Ban Ki-Moon.

The participants recognized the value and relevance of the project for the implementation of their national development plans and programs. Therefore, they expressed appreciation, in particular for the Matrix as a new and comprehensive source of eSolutions and the advanced character of the ICT tools with their wide-ranging capabilities and applications.

 Specific recommendations were made to enhance and strengthen the Center:
1- To develop and make available an Arabic version of the Center as one of the six official languages of the UN.
2-   Ask UN-GAID to produce a short note for all interested users describing the Center as a new invention, highlighting its unique features and its value added for economic development.
3- To develop as proposed by the UN-GAID Chairman, an executive MBA program on MDG eSolutions and the Center and provide it online through high education institutions in order to facilitate reach to users in remote areas.
4- To call on UN-GAID to organize, after the official launch of the Center, in cooperation with the League of Arab States a forum for all Arab countries to build on the positive outcomes of the present GCC seminar.
5- Call on governments, after the launch of the Center, to designate a focal point in every ministry concerned with development, as well as a country node for coordination and interacting with the GCC Secretariat and the MDG e-Center, to be authorized to make changes in the country page.
6- To post all seminar documents and presentations on the GCC website: www.GCCSG.org
7- The participants stressed the need to assure that information and data are authorized, comprehensive and useful for users to facilitate effective decision making, including by encouraging the project undertaken by UNESCO and Talal Abu-Ghazaleh Organization (TAG-Org) to develop information society indicators portal as a dynamic continuously updated repository relying on official data available or to be developed. 
8- The Participants suggested that the Center provides regional applications and coordination programs with the national development programs.
9- To adopt the statements made by UN-GAID Chairman, the Minister of Economy and Planning of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and GCC Secretary-General as the official documentation of the seminar to be published and posted on UN-GAID website in Arabic and English languages.
10-