UN-APCICT supports ICTD human capacity building in Myanmar

On 14-24 July UN-APCICT conducted a two-week customized capacity building workshop on ICT for development (ICTD) for 33 senior government officials in Pyin Oo Lwin, Upper Myanmar with the collaboration of Union Civil Service Board of Myanmar.

31-07-2014

To build an information society in which information and communication technologies (ICTs) are at the service of sustainable socio-economic development, Myanmar has been working to strengthen its human capacity in integrating these technologies in  national development strategies and programmes.

To support these efforts, on 14-24 July the United Nations Asian and Pacific Training Centre for ICT for Development (UN-APCICT) conducted a two-week customized capacity building workshop on ICT for development (ICTD) for senior government officials in Pyin Oo Lwin, Upper Myanmar. Organized in collaboration with the Union Civil Service Board of Myanmar (UCSB), the training was part of an eight-week Government Executive Officials Management course for 33 government officials at the Director General and Deputy Director General-level, initiated by the President of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar.

UN-APCICT’s workshop, the fourth training conducted by the Centre in the country, covered topics from the first six modules of UN-APCICT’s Academy of ICT Essentials for Government Leaders, such as the linkage between ICTs and development, ICTD policy, e-government and information security and privacy. It contributed to enhancing the capacities of Myanmar’s policymakers and people in decision-making positions for better leveraging ICT for good governance and improved public services.

In addition to the workshop for government officials, on 17-18 July UN-APCICT also rolled-out its Primer Series on ICTD for Youth (Primer Series) in Myanmar. Following the launch of the Primer Series, UN-APCICT co-organized an awareness raising workshop with the collaboration of the University of Computer Studies in Yangon (UCSY). The workshop, attended by over 80 lecturers from 25 universities, introduced the Primer Series 1 and 2 on “Introduction to ICTD” and “ICT and Project Management,” as well as the forthcoming “Social Media for Development.”

Upon the positive reception of the Primer programme by participants, UCSY requested the Centre’s continued support to organize a training of trainers workshop later in the year. It also backed the idea of localizing the Primer issues to Myanmar language to reach more universities in the country and strengthen the national uptake of the Primer programme.