ICT Group Urges More Awarenesss
PRESS STATEMENT
66/06
Friday, 06 October 2006
CROP ICT GROUP URGES MORE AWARENESS FOR DIGITAL STRATEGY
The Council of Regional Organisations of the Pacific (CROP) ICT Working Group has called for more promotion of the Regional Digital Strategy approved by Pacific Islands Forum Leaders as part of the Pacific Plan.
This was agreed on at a meeting of the CROP ICT Working Group in Nadi, Fiji yesterday. The meeting was attended by representatives from Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat (PIFS), Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC), the Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Agency (FFA), South Pacific Applied Geo-science Commission (SOPAC), the University of the South Pacific (USP) and the Pacific Islands Telecommunication Association (PITA).
"The Group felt that one year after the Strategy was approved by the Leaders, not enough people know about it, including within the CROP agencies themselves, as well as other agencies working in the region," Mr John Budden, the Forum's Infrastructure Adviser, who chaired the meeting said.
"We have agreed to come up with a strategy to address this and it will include awareness within the CROP agencies with presentations at the various CROP governing councils, ministerial meetings and the public.
"The Digital Strategy is one of those cross-cutting issues within the Pacific Plan, and so it is important everyone understands it and how it applies to other areas within the four pillars of the Plan," Mr Budden said.
The Pacific Plan was endorsed by leaders at the Pacific Islands Forum meeting in October 2005 as the framework for regional development to enhance and stimulate economic growth, sustainable development, good governance and security.
The CROP ICT Working Group Meeting was held on the sideline of a workshop on Transitions to New Generation Networks (NGN) and Convergence coordinated by the PITA, the Forum Secretariat, AusAID and the World Bank.
This will be followed by a meeting of the ICT Taskforce on Regional Approaches to ICTs in Nadi tomorrow. The Taskforce was established by the Pacific Islands Forum Information and Communications Technologies Ministers" Meeting held in Wellington, New Zealand, March this year. Its objective is to investigate the potential for developing regional approaches to ICTs to further the implementation of the Pacific Plan and the Regional Digital Strategy.
ENDS
ICT: Information and Communications Technology
66/06
Friday, 06 October 2006
CROP ICT GROUP URGES MORE AWARENESS FOR DIGITAL STRATEGY
The Council of Regional Organisations of the Pacific (CROP) ICT Working Group has called for more promotion of the Regional Digital Strategy approved by Pacific Islands Forum Leaders as part of the Pacific Plan.
This was agreed on at a meeting of the CROP ICT Working Group in Nadi, Fiji yesterday. The meeting was attended by representatives from Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat (PIFS), Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC), the Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Agency (FFA), South Pacific Applied Geo-science Commission (SOPAC), the University of the South Pacific (USP) and the Pacific Islands Telecommunication Association (PITA).
"The Group felt that one year after the Strategy was approved by the Leaders, not enough people know about it, including within the CROP agencies themselves, as well as other agencies working in the region," Mr John Budden, the Forum's Infrastructure Adviser, who chaired the meeting said.
"We have agreed to come up with a strategy to address this and it will include awareness within the CROP agencies with presentations at the various CROP governing councils, ministerial meetings and the public.
"The Digital Strategy is one of those cross-cutting issues within the Pacific Plan, and so it is important everyone understands it and how it applies to other areas within the four pillars of the Plan," Mr Budden said.
The Pacific Plan was endorsed by leaders at the Pacific Islands Forum meeting in October 2005 as the framework for regional development to enhance and stimulate economic growth, sustainable development, good governance and security.
The CROP ICT Working Group Meeting was held on the sideline of a workshop on Transitions to New Generation Networks (NGN) and Convergence coordinated by the PITA, the Forum Secretariat, AusAID and the World Bank.
This will be followed by a meeting of the ICT Taskforce on Regional Approaches to ICTs in Nadi tomorrow. The Taskforce was established by the Pacific Islands Forum Information and Communications Technologies Ministers" Meeting held in Wellington, New Zealand, March this year. Its objective is to investigate the potential for developing regional approaches to ICTs to further the implementation of the Pacific Plan and the Regional Digital Strategy.
ENDS
ICT: Information and Communications Technology
