Incheon, Republic of Korea – Capacity building and information and communication technology (ICT) experts from six Asia-Pacific countries conclude workshop on resource tools designed to enhance public services through the use of ICT.

The Asian and Pacific Training Centre for Information and Communication Technology for Development (UN-APCICT/ESCAP), a regional institute of the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific, today concluded a Training of Trainers Workshop on Improving Public Service through ICT, co-organized in partnership with the Asian Development Bank (ADB), and the National Information Society Agency (NIA) of the Republic of Korea.

The three-day workshop, which started 9 August in Seoul, Republic of Korea, brought together twenty-five local resource persons from Mongolia, Viet Nam, the Philippines, Indonesia, Uzbekistan and the Pacific Island Countries for training in the field of e-Government and ICT project management. The workshop generated feedback on a recently developed e-Government Capacity Maturity Model (CMM), which measures the maturity of an organization in terms of its e-Government implementation efforts from, and an ICT Project Guidebook, which aims to serve as a primary reference point covering all aspects of ICT project management.

Workshop participants also discussed how to effectively integrate both resources into the national frameworks of civil servant training programmes. APCICT plans to use the e-Government CMM and the ICT Project Guidebook in the delivery of its flagship programme, the “Academy of ICT Essentials for Government Leaders” (Academy). Currently consisting of eight training modules focused on promoting use of ICT for socio-economic development, the Academy will utilize the CMM and ICT Project Guidebook to supplement modules 3 and 7, titled ‘e-Government Applications’ and ‘ICT Project Management in Theory and Practice’ respectively.

The e-Government CMM and ICT Project Guidebook were developed as part of the “Improving Public Service through ICT” project involving APCICT, ADB and NIA, which kicked-off in December, 2009 with an inception workshop in the Republic of Korea.

“The development of these valuable training and project management resources is the culmination of committed and collaborative work among national and regional development stakeholders throughout the Asia-Pacific region”, said Dr. Hyeun-Suk Rhee, Director of APCICT. “The shared commitment to facilitate and improve the use of ICT in national development projects will do much to enhance the delivery of e-government and public services in the region”.

The workshop was attended by Nurilla Mahamatov of Uzbekistan, the winner of the first round of the APCICT Virtual Academy (http://ava.unapcict.org) Award.

Eleven students and interns from across Asia and the United States, participating in APCICT’s ICTD for Youth (ICTD4Y) programme, also attended the first day of the workshop.