2003 TRAINING CYCLE ON INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY TO BEGIN

AT HEADQUARTERS, 6 FEBRUARY

NEW YORK, 4 February (ICT Task Force/UNITAR) -- The United Nations Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) Task Force and the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) will launch on Thursday, 6 February, in the United Nations Dag Hammarskjöld Library, the first cycle in 2003 of the series “Policy Awareness and Training in the Information Technology”.

The programme, under the auspices of the ad hoc open-ended working group on informatics, has been developed for ambassadors and diplomats from permanent missions to the United Nations in New York, with the participation and sponsorship of Intel Corporation.  The first cycle will conclude on 27 March. 

Diplomats and decision-makers are not only required to master and understand the use and significance of information technology, but also have to be able to address new challenges.  The series was, therefore, designed with two objectives in mind:  to enable diplomats to acquire specific computer skills and be exposed to the workings of the Internet; and to raise awareness and understanding of policy and security issues related to the information society.

The programme consists of a set of four progressive modules and one seminar, conducted as full-day workshops, which will be offered five times in 2003.  In the first basic module, participants will learn about the main components of a personal computer and familiarize themselves with Windows 2000 and its functionalities.  The second module will extend further to include e-mailing and Web surfing.  The hands-on training at this stage will help participants practise researching on the Internet, as well as exploring its broad dimensions.

The third module serves to introduce participants to Microsoft Word 2000 and to some of its advanced features.  Module four addresses the basics of Web page design and usability techniques; it extensively exposes the participants to the planning and designing process of a Web site.  Module five is conducted in the form of a seminar on “Policy and Security Issues in Information Technology”.  The seminar is primarily targeted at ambassadors and senior diplomats, but is also open to United Nations staff members and members of non-governmental organizations.

For information, please contact Enrica Murmura at the Secretariat of the United Nations ICT Task Force, 1-212-963-5913, e-mail:  murmura@un.org; or

Humaira Kamal at UNITAR, e-mail:  hkamal@un.org.

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