On July 31st during the Asia Pacific Telecentre Network (APTN) Leaders Meeting in Bangkok, Thailand will be formally named the new APTN country host, taking over the Information and Communication Technology Agency (ICTA)of Sri Lanka, which hosted the first APTN Secretariat in Sri Lanka since February 2009.

The ceremonial turnover will be broadcast live via www.TelecentreChannel.org from 10:30am to 12noon Bangkok time (UTC/GMT+7) and will be witnessed by the 1,880 telecentres under the ThaiTelecentre.org network. Members of the global telecentre movement are enjoined to witness the ceremonies via the webcast and join in the celebration of this milestone in APTN history.

The APTN Leaders Meeting, which will take place from July 31 to August 2, follows a previous meeting of APTN Leaders last December 2011 in Bangladesh, where ICTA proposed for the selection of a new host for APTN starting 2012. Because of the dynamic telecentre movement and strong government support for telecentres in Thailand, as well as the Thai network’s active involvement in the global telecentre movement, the APTN Leaders agreed to designate Thailand as the next APTN host.

In addition to the ceremonial turnover of the APTN Secretariat from ICTA to Thailand, the APTN Leaders Meeting also seeks to finalize and approve the charter, including the governance structure of the network; elect the first set of board members and officers of the network; develop a plan for APTN moving forward; consult with APTN leaders regarding TCF Programs (e.g Telecentre Women ); and learn from the telecentre experience of Thailand and the countries represented in the meeting.

The APTN was a United Nations’ Economic and Social Commission for the Asia-Pacific... initiative, aimed towards creating a platform of networks of telecentres to share experiences on issues of their interest (content, sustainability, connectivity, etc.) and to cooperate on the development of solutions for common problems of the telecentres in order to empower poor and disadvantaged communities with Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in the Asia Pacific Region.