SEMINAR ON INFORMATION SECURITY TO BE HELD AT UNITED NATIONS, 9 SEPTEMBER

SEMINAR ON INFORMATION SECURITY TO BE HELD AT UNITED NATIONS, 9 SEPTEMBER

A high-level seminar on Policy Awareness and Security Issues in Information Technology will be offered on Thursday, 9 September, from 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at United Nations Headquarters (Conference Room 1).

The seminar will discuss policy issues and opportunities in the use of information and communication technologies (ICT) in e-governance, particularly public-private partnerships to deliver government services and the use of ICT in the diplomatic community.

Organized by the United Nations Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) Task Force and the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR), the event is part of the seminar series on Policy Awareness and Training in Information Technology, now in its third year.  The series, presented under the auspices of the Ad Hoc Open-Ended Working Group on Informatics of the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) and supported by Intel Corporation, is aimed primarily at ambassadors and diplomats to the United Nations in New York.

Its objectives are to enable diplomats to acquire specific computer skills and be exposed to the workings of the Internet; to raise awareness and understanding of policy and security issues related to the information society; and to continue providing input in preparation for the second phase of the World Summit on the Information Society, to be held in Tunis in November 2005.

Opening remarks will be delivered by Ambassador Ahmad Kamal, Chairman of the series of seminars; ECOSOC President Marjatta Rasi; Sarbuland Khan, Executive Coordinator of the United Nations ICT Task Force; and Sharon Silverman of Intel Corporation.

Seminar presenters include Giorgio Vanzini of Microsoft Corporation and Adam Steele and Raffaella Settimi from DePaulUniversity in Chicago.

For information, please contact Enrica Murmura at the Secretariat of the United Nations ICT Task Force, tel.: (212) 963-5913; or Humaira Kamal, Special Fellow, UNITAR, tel.:  (480) 361-3672.

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