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A Comprehensive Center to Contribute in Accelerating the eMDGs
The UN to Fund the Establishment of the eCenter

MANAMA ---- 10 August 2010 ----  The Kingdom of Bahrain recently hosted  the first National Global Alliance for ICT and Development (GAID) of the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA) seminar  in which concrete plans were  discussed and e-solutions aiming at accelerating the achievement of  the eCenter for Millennium Development Goals , a “one-stop shop” that will answer the aforementioned questions and will work as a vital resource for the governments of developing countries and for all development practitioners.

The Seminar was chaired by, The Chairman  of the Global Alliance for ICT and Development , Mr. Talal Abu – Ghazaleh; Mr. Sayed Agha Resident Representative of the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) in Bahrain; Mr. Sergei Kambalov, the Executive Coordinator of the Alliance Secretary; Mr. Sarbouland Khan, the Advisor of the Chairman of Strategy Council of the Alliance, and Dr. Amjad Omar, Director of the Management and e-Business Degree Program and the Information Systems Engineering and Management (ISEM) at the University of Harrisburg, in addition to Mr. Mohammed Ali Al-Qaed, CEO of the eGovernment Authority, and was attended by a number of high officials from several ministries and governmental entities of the Kingdom of Bahrain.

The seminar concluded with several significant recommendations for the implementing the MDGs set by the United Nations using ICT tools and modern communication technology. These recommendations include;

The eGovernment Authority, in its capacity as a leader in the ICT field is to establish a Capacity Building Center for Developing Arab Countries and Africa. The Center will be a training and consultancy center based in the Kingdom of Bahrain that will assist various countries based on their needs and requirements, helping them achieve the MDGs;

The United Nations Development Program in Bahrain, represented by Mr. Agha proposed to draft a country template for the Kingdom of Bahrain and other countries to help in the implementation of the MDGs in each country.”
 
Another recommendation of the seminar was to align the MDGs with Bahrain’s Vision of 2030 through a proposal to the Economic Development Board that aligns the MDGs with the Vision 2030 goals. Once achieved this exemplary model to be showcased as a model for other countries to follow.

The Chairman of the Global Alliance for ICT and Development, Mr. Talal Abu-Ghazaleh praised the Kingdom’s efforts in hosting this event, pointing out the keen interest displayed by Bahrain in the field of ICT, particularly with regard to achieving the MDGs. Further, he praised the Kingdom’s initiative having Bahrain as a model country for the implementation of the eMDGs due to the progression in achieving the goals and the advanced IT progress that the eGovernment Authority has implemented in the Country.

The Chairman of the Global Alliance for ICT and Development (GAID) of the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA) praised the pioneering initiative of Bahrain, which made possible holding such a meeting, affirming that the results of this important meeting will be the theme of the forthcoming meeting in the city of New York, United States, for the purpose of preparing the report which will be presented the heads of states and governments at a special event to be held during the High-level Plenary meeting of the United Nations General assembly on 20-22 September 2010.

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